


Persona Effect

by Pious_Erika



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy, Persona Series
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Non-binary character, POV Second Person, The Fool - Freeform, Trans Female Character, Trans Male Character, also non-binary lead, and lewdness, asari can have trans people, bascially, but that comes later, but you are not one of them, for the pov character, more details to be added later, multi shepard au, ok this is going to be fun, what if Persona went all the way to the discovery of mass effect stuff, whole lotta trans characters tbh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2020-11-24 16:17:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 53
Words: 50,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20910518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pious_Erika/pseuds/Pious_Erika
Summary: Across the Galaxy, there exists the Collective Mind, The Well of Souls, The Sea of Thought, The Psychic Realm.Within This Space, Exist Beings Called Shadows.Across The Galaxy, Peoples have fought against Invading Shadows with the Power of their Souls.This power goes by many names, but for the majority of humanity, it is called:PERSONA





	1. You Find Yourself On A Train.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introducing You, (Yes YOU!)

Your name is **Makoto Lee**. You are a mixed Japanese/White American **dual citizen**, born in Japan but raised in the USA. Your father William is a former solider (who fought in the **“First Contact War”**) turned Gym instructor, your mother Sana fought in the same conflict, with her becoming a librarian. 

You are 25 years old. You are** nonbinary** (they/them) viewing yourself as man, woman and something more. You came out as nonbinary at 15 to** acceptance **from your loving family. 

You were accepted into the **Citadel University**, among the first humans to be given such an honor. You caught the attention of the scouts because of a brilliant essay on** cross-species meme culture**. Full tuition scholarship. You have interest in** ALIEN LITERATURE, XENO SOCIOLOGY, and HISTORY!!!** You hope to either be a **Teacher** or a **Diplomat**. 

You are a bit of a nerd, socially awkward, though dedicated to things you determine are important. You have met aliens on Earth, but before leaving for CU, **you had never left Earth before. **Your parents taught you to respect other cultures, and also taught you how to fight (just in case). 

You are so **Excited** to be going to CU, but this train ride is boring,** So You Think You Will Have A Nap. **


	2. Dream and Nightmare

You sit half asleep on the train. It has been along day.

You are a student, who has been accepted into Citadel University, one of the first humans to have been given such an honor.

You spent your day packing your things and traveling to the space port. After being cleared through security, you traveled to the train and are now going to be on a ship to the Citadel.

You are exited and exhausted. You decide to have a quick nap. The train will take another hour to get to the spaceport.

[You are dreaming, but not your normal dreams.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHxVo-WA9nA) You dream of an ethereal space that is both familiar and unfamiliar, and it feels as if it is both dream and reality. A soft aria plays from nowhere and everywhere.

You see a short woman in a blue outfit, blue hat and with snow white hair. Her skin is pale and her eyes glowing yellow.

She approaches you, pulling something out a book she carries. It is a small, archaic gun.

She puts it in a pocket on the inside of your jacket.

“When the time is right, you will know what to do” She says simply.

“I am not the one to guide your journey, but I will watch over you, for our goals intersect” She says.

She disappears into the Aether and you start to wake up. Your train has arrived at its destination.

You wander through the port, still tired, but not as much as you had been.

The place is pact. Mostly humans traveling to the colonies or tourist hotspots, but some other Citadel races arriving to explore Earth, or to leave back to their homes.

You find the place that will collect people for the ship to the Citadel. The ship will be late because some nonsense. You decide to find a seat and take another nap.

“HELLO” a large bearded man comes at you with deep Russian accent. He is pale beneath the brown hair and carrying an obscene amount of luggage.

“You a Citadel U student as well?” He asks.

You say yes, but you point out you just want a nap until the ship arrives.

“Ok, but can I sit next to you, there are not many seats left?” He asks.

You nod. He sets his things down and boots up an old fighting game on his omni-tool. It is a game you are familiar with and would probably ask to join if you were less tired.

You dose off and dream your normal dreams.

You are shaken awake. The Russian man has shaken you awake, and he is panicking.

You see, even before you exactly process his words, coffins and other containers of the dead where people once were.

“Oh, thank the Gods, I thought you would not wake up” he says relieved

You ask what is going on, adrenaline rising in your blood.

“Someone has weaponized a Dark Hour” He explains

You ask what the fuck a Dark Hour is

“Right not everyone is aware of psychic fuckery as I am” He states

“It is basically a bunch of meta-physical/psychic nonsense that means that for next hour we are going to get eaten by monsters called Shadows.” He explains

Shadows? you ask, concerned.

A sound of beasts approaching comes from a nearby door.

“Speak of The Devil” He says disgusted and he prompts you to join him in running. You do so.

“I am Michal Ivanov” He says, “If I am to die, I want to get that out there”

You give your name, and you 2 shake hands as you run from the shadows.

You both here a sound you both have only heard of in recordings but never up close. The sound of Biotics and the war cries of an Asari.

You stop and turn and see an Asari rend Shadows to pieces with fists of fury and biotics ablaze.

“OY, you 2 alright” A deeper voice then you expected comes from the Asari as he finished with the Shadows pursuing you.

Michal is elated, “YES WE ARE ALL RIGHT” He says approaching the Asari to give thanks

You give a detailed look at the Asari. He wears a pride pin of trans masculinity on his chest above the heart. He dresses in plain clothes that are more human design, more masculine then you have seen Asari typically wear, jeans and a sleeveless shirt. His face has tattoos, made to look like an additional set of eyes on his forehead. He carries no weapons but has honed his body into a muscular weapon, more so then any Asari you have seen. 

“I am Zail K’zal, Citadel Prime Exorcist” The Asari says “Do either of you have the ability to summon Persona?”

“THE ZAIL K’ZAL?” Michal exclaims before smacking himself to refocus, “No. I put my evoker component of my omni-tool along with my gun in with my checked baggage.”

“Pity. But from what I have sense the shadows here are small fry, I should be able to handle this even without my Persona”

You state you can’t summon Persona but suggest that perhaps Zail could hand his evoker over to Michal.

“My evoker is coded to me and will kill anyone else who tries to use it.” Zail states as you 3 move to what Zail determined the source of the fuckery.

You and your group try avoid shadows via stealth. You see countless examples of coffins from many cultures during the move.

Zail states he is here to oversee transfer of many Earth Shadow artifacts to the Citadel for research, along with some vacation time on Earth. He leader of the Citadel’s anti-shadow unit the Exorcists, the Council’s Right Foot as he call it. He figures this nonsense is probably about him

You arrive at the source of the great fuckery as Zail calls it. You recognize it as the ship that would have taken you and Michal to the Citadel.

He moves towards the luggage transfer transport, sensing the source of the Dark Hour.

Shadows begin to approach, but Zail states you not to worry, he will remove the threat of the Dark Hour and this will all be done.

He smashes his hands together to trigger his evoker and summon his Persona, Torgaddon, a massive Batarian armored devil figure.

Suddenly the a piece of luggage shoots out a bright light and strikes the Persona with a piece of glowing paper.

“Oh Fuck” The Asari states the universal swear and convulses in pain as the “Holy” magic causes massive damage to him, knocking him out.

“Welp, we are dead” Michal states pulling out 2 flasks out of his inner jacket and handing one to you. You smell Vodka as he takes a swig.

The shadows begin to approach.

You remember your dream and look in your inner jacket, pulling out the archaic gun.

Michal looks shocked at the Evoker and out of some ingrained instinct, you press the gun to your head.

“PER SO NA” You state and pull the trigger.

[You feel a pain as if an actual bullet struck your nervous system and you feel power awaken in you. A mechanical figure emerges behind you, it resembles a spaceship, but transforms into a more human form.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTQoFPmC7ZA)

_“Thou Art I And I Am Thou” _  
  
“From The Sea Of Thy Soul I Come Forth”  
  
“I Am Humanities Potential, For Good And Evil” 

_“I AM ENTERPRISE” _

The figure shoot beams of heat at the approaching shadows, but it is not enough. Michal stands initially in shock, but grabs the evoker from you.

“Look friend I like you, but we need something more” He shoots himself and a massive bearded figure appears behind him.

“Santa, deal with these fools” Michal says as the persona unleashes a massive series of cold attacks at the approaching shadows.

As Santa begins to disappear, Michal takes another shot to the head before handing the evoker back.

Santa heals Zail and Zail gets up angry.

“Ok this night needs to end” Zail says, once more summoning persona and unleashing a fist of god at the suspected luggage.

The Dark Hour ends and you all collapse exhausted. Security begins to approach, but Zail has them summon medical teams.

You and Michal are cleared for health, just exhausted, and are taken for questioning. Zail was damaged a bit more then thought and needed proper medical care.

You and Michal nap in the hospital where Zail is recovering. You would not want to leave a new friend alone. You are awakened by guards and told it is ok to visit.

Zail is dressed in a Hospital gown but is looking well. He is hooked up to a pain killer drip, but is otherwise ok. He is surrounded by Alliance guards, and a black man you recognize as David Anderson. Zail hushes Anderson rather rudely when you enter.

“DUDES, You 2 saved my life. I owe you 2 big time.” Zail states

“Sir there is the matter of” Anderson tries to interject but Zail continues.

“I reviewed both of your plans for school, living on Campus in a cramped dorm with random room mates. BAH I say, you 2 are living in my Pent House, and all your food and other expenses covered by me.”

Anderson gave up.

“Also we need a party to celebrate me not dying” Zail realized “I am taking you 2 to Matriach Lee’s Brothel, A NIGHT OF HOOKERS AND DRUGS ON ME” Zail says excitedly, but strains himself and you and Michel are asked to leave before Zail hurts himself more.

You and Michal look at each other after you exit the room.

“The man offers us drugs and whores after we save him” Michal says “Truly a sign of long-term friendship”

You agree

“I think I need to introduce myself more properly” Michel breaths in and straightens himself “I am Michel Ivanov, my family has protected Russia from Shadow Fuckery for generations” he says offering his hand for shaking.

You give your name and say you are but a simple student.

You shake and you feel something inside you awaken.

“Thou Art I and I am Thou”  
“Thou Hast Formed A New Bond”

“These Are That Shall Change The Galaxy”

“You Have Awakened The Power of the Magician Arcana”

You smile and double check your pockets realizing something.

You still have the evoker.


	3. Ping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Brief History Lesson.

Zail’s personal drop ship, the “Dagger of Purity” as he called it, zipped to the Citadel.

You, Michal and Zail discuss the nature of Shadows, Persona, and the history of the Exorcists.

The Exorcists were founded you learn, initially by the Salarians and Asari when they first started settling colonies across the larger Galaxy.

Because the mixing of minds that resulted of mixed cultures, new types of Shadows emerged, thus requiring new Anti-Shadow Operatives to combat new potential threats. They also serve as a research team into Shadow related things. With new cultures being added to the Council space, and the new planets discovered added all the time, new Shadow related things need research.

They slowly have stopped being as relevant as colonies developed their own Anti-Shadow bases, though usually some corporation or terrorist group doing psychic fuckery requires Exorcist specialization.

You also learn that Zail, despite being only 260, is considered the leader of the Exorcists, or at least, as he puts it “The One _The Council_ Complains Too”.

“What is our friend’s Arcana” Michal asks, pointing at you.

“Right………… Probably should have checked for that earlier” Zail scans you with his Omni tool, equipped with psychic tools and apps to better help him, apps he installed onto your tool as well.

With a ping, your results come in. It detects you as “The Fool” in the multisystem Arcana.

“This is….. **_interesting_**” Zail says. He is hiding a mild panic.

“A Wildcard? I heard rumors about their existence, but never met one before” Michal says, he looks at you with a happy surprise.

“Few have.” Zail says “You are the first Fool to emerge in 150 years, and all other ones in recorded history are dead”.

“Keep this on the down-low” Zail says “Don’t worry, I will protect you. Fools are rare and valuable” He takes his hand and puts it on yours. You are reassured at his words.

You here a ping sound, and song plays in your mind

“Thou Art I and I am Thou”  
“Thou Hast Formed A New Bond”

“These Are That Shall Change The Galaxy”

“You Have Awakened The Power of the Emperor Arcana”

The VI of the ship tell you have arrived at the Citadel.

“Well that is enough of that, lets get good drunk and fucked” Zail says.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brief chapter because I want to get this fic on the go.


	4. Respect Sex Workers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You Arrive At The Citadel

The _“Dagger of Purity”_ arrived at the Citadel, VI drones gathered Michal’s and your luggage and took it to Zail’s place. From the way he described it, it was a rather large section of a Citadel apartment complex for his mother to live and fellow Exorcists to crash while on break. 

“Zail” a woman you recognize as a Drell charges at Zail and tackle hugs him. They both come to ground as the Drell smothers Zail in kisses. They are both laughing. It happened so fast that you and Michal barely had time to react.

“Kinney please, I am injured” Zail laughs as he lifts himself up with his wife. “Lads, this is my wife and fellow exorcist, Kinney K’Zal.” Zail introduces his wife as she still is glued to him. She gives a quick greeting before returning to the smooching, with Zail beginning to return the kisses.

A large cab piloted by autopilot gathered you all and began escorting you all to _The Little Death_.

“Is she just greeting us, or she going to joining us for the Brothel trip” Michal asks. He is fiddling with his Omni-tool, looking a tad uncomfortable.

Kinney detaches herself from her husband. “I am joining you. I been meaning to go to _The Little Death_ again for a while, and this is a good enough opportunity” Kinney offers a handshake to you and Michal, which you give. Can’t leave a woman hanging.

“Thank you for saving my husband. I wish I could have been there, but I had a mission to preform. The Krogan Pirate lab has been eliminated with no loss of Exorcist life by the way” Kinney fist-pumped her husband and they gave each other praises for jobs well done.

“Are mother or Xan not joining us?” Zail asked

“Your mom planned a date with her girlfriend tonight and decided to maintain it once she learned you were alright, I think it was the new fusion restaurant in the Presidium. Xan had a similar prior engagement with a gaming tournament.” Kinney informed her husband.

“You were planning to invite your mother and sister to a Brothel?” Michel looked up from his Omni-tool.

“My mom used to work at _The Little Death_, she even still has Asari friends there who worked with her. She is still a regular customer there even after moving on” Zail explained “Not surprised Xan is not coming. they has a bit of a gaming addiction.”

The cab arrived at the Brothel and your party stepped outside. It was a beautiful building. Artsy nude images of various races graced the front of it, mostly Asari. Several armed and armored bouncers, mostly Asari but you spot a pair of Krogan, guard club from all sides, checking the IDs and Reservations of those that try to gain entrance. Zail says some wait weeks, if not months, to gain entrance.

Zail takes the lead and tells you to let him do the talking. As you approach, one of the Krogan guard approaches Zail and asks for ID. Zail offers his along with those of his entourage, and you are let in.

You enter the building and are struck with several scents, most of which are pleasant, but some are weird. Several bars, crewed by Topless Asari bartenders and dancers, are scattered across the level. VI-piloted robot servers, made to look like nude Asari, deliver food, booze and drugs to guests, or escort sex workers to patrons, with said workers taking the guests up-stairs. Lovely couches and dens line the walls and floor, which you see people doing drugs, drinking, eating and requesting their entertainment. Nice calm atmosphere. You see several photos of famous individuals, ranging from celebrities to politicians, along the walls of the clubs, along with more pornographic art, more explicit then the ones outside.

The guests you can see are mostly Asari, though some humans, turian and other races are seen well. Zail said this is more a traditional Asari brothel, with it’s majority customer and worker base being Asari. 

More Asari guards, fully armed and armored are spotted above in the balconies above. 

Zail spots you and Michal looking towards the Guards. “Asari, Asari such as Ishtar in particular, view prostitution the likes of which go on here, as sacred. To harm, or even threaten one of her workers, is to invite a justified death.” 

“First level is the calm section, Usually where plans are made, and things are ordered. Upper levels are where the fucking happens. Me and Kinney are going to go slow tonight, hire a few girls each and have a nice calm night. “ Zail said with Kinney giving a double thumbs up as she made her way to a den, waving to a drone to place some orders for food and booze.

“I came here for booze and food” Michel says “I like sex, but I tend not to like hook ups”

“Fair enough, what about you?” Zail asked you. You say you will see how the night takes you, and you head to where Kinney is ordering food.

Your party begin conversation in earnest. An Asari dancer preforms a lap dance to Zail’s generous tips, while Kinney indulges you and Michal in her past while you munch on a Smörgåsbord of various foods and drink from across Citadel cultures.

Kinney informs you that she used to be a Specter candidate, her being a biotic and former Assassin for the Hanar. She diverted and became an Exorcist after awakening her Persona. She and Zail married 5 years ago, a year and a bit after they met and started dating.

“Really, I must thank you from saving my husband, and don’t worry, your secret is safe with me” She whispered, placing her right hand on yours as she took a drink with her left. 

You felt her honestly, and after an hour of food, drink and laughter, you felt a strong bond to her.

_PING_

“Thou Art I and I am Thou”  
“Thou Hast Formed A New Bond”

“These Are The Bonds That Shall Change The Galaxy”

“You Have Awakened The Power of the High Priestess Arcana”

Zail calls his wife over, flanked by 4 Asari dominatrix. Kinney, gives you and Michal a kiss on the cheek each and joins her husband with a skip in her step, as they all move upstairs.

Michel says he starting to feel a bit to drunk, probably drunk an alien drink should have not, and would like to go to the K’Zal house. You decide that sex can wait and escort your friend to the cab, to your new home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Little Death will be recurring location.


	5. Old Photos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Decadence of the Military Wealth.

The cab stops off at a large apartment complex in the Wards, near the top of the building. A bridge extends and several VI drones, some made to look like Asari maids, some more armored ones that look ready for combat come to pick you and Michal up. You are grateful, for you have grown tired of carrying your drunk friend.

“Welcome Makoto, Welcome Michal” one of the maid droids says, moving Michal on a stretcher. The droid begins a diagnosis of Michal while another droid offers a stretcher to you, but you say you are fine.

You ask if Michal is ok and the droid says he just needs a night’s rest, though it preps an IV bag, which the droid says is to prevent the inevitable hangover from being too terrible.

You walk inside the apartment section though heavily armored doors. The lights turn on and you see several photos in what you guess is a main living room, a room larger then your parent’s suburban house on Earth, most of which are those you guess are of the K’Zal family. The First photo is that of a young pregnant Asari and Batarian male. The photo looks old somehow and looks like it was taken in a not good place, a dingy meteor mine by the look of it, but the two seem in love. A second photo shows the same pair with an Asari child, which you guess rightly is Zail, on the Citadel. A third photo shows The First Asari, pregnant again, a now older Zail and a Quarian woman. A fourth shows the initial Asari, Zail combat gear and a young Asari child you guess is Xan. A fifth photo shows the initial Asari with an Elcor, but no children present. Other photos with Zail with various people, you guess Exorcists, are scattered about, a long with a lovely wedding photo of Zail and Kinney. Other photos of Xan at various tournaments are present as well. You also notice some photos of Lili, the initial Asari, with friends/lovers in-front and inside _The Little Death_.

You notice a large TV in the center of the room, connected to several dozen different archaic and even ancient gaming consoles. 2 statues flank the TV, one of which is of Zail’s persona. The other, an Asari scientist in what looks like a Quarian Envirosuit, is probably Xan’s.

“Mistress Lili has yet to return from her date, and Xan is still at their tournament. The bedroom Master Zail has given you is the one with your name on it. I will take you to it when you are ready. Food and drink are available in the kitchen, as well as the minifridge in your room. Each bedroom has its own toilet and shower, with a large bath being in the upper levels if you want.” The Maid Droid escorting you explained.

You see the other maid droid and the combat bots take Michal to his room and decide you should go to sleep.

You go a bit on auto pilot and give thanks to the droid out of instinct, and head to your room. The room is large, twice the size of the one you had at your parent’s place. The bed is king-sized and looks like the comfiest thing ever. Your suitcases and other possessions have been un-opened but have been treated with care. A desk is to the side of the room and you notice several photo slates on it, which display photos taken from your social media accounts. You take a shower in a bathroom that you swear is the nicest bathroom you have ever been in, perfect water and oddly, your favorite shampoos and similar items already there for you. You notice a date-drive on the bed as you move to it after your shower.

It bears your name in hiragana and when you pick it up and flip it over, it says in English “Info from Zail”.

You plug it to your Omni-tool and it downloads the info.

A message plays: “Sup friend. Zail here with a message from me from the hospital on Earth. Depending on when you get this, I will probably be busy fucking, or sleeping to recover from fucking, thus would not have time to give the royal tour of the Citadel. I took the liberty of requesting your advertising data and customed your room to your preference. Contained within the data-drive is a bunch of cool info on the Citadel, good food locations and the like, as well as some history on me, my wife Kinney, Exorcists as a whole, and Galactic history from someone who gets some cool secret access.”

“Makoto. I have requested for you a Citadel firearm license and a proper Evoker, but the bureaucratic channels are a bit slow right now, so keep that older Evoker on you at all times until at least the gun license comes in. Who ever tried to attack me might go after you.”

“Your Citadel U classes begin in 3 weeks time. I want to give you and Michal some combat training in that time and in your off-time from school, particularly in the use of Persona combat. You will have my full respect even without becoming an Exorcist, but I feel you will need to learn some basic combat if the terrorists are still out there.”

“See you soon. Unless I died in between now and when you play this message. That would suck” The message ends and you decide to read up on Exorcist history.

You spend 30 minutes reading up on the history of Exorcist before sleep claims you.

As you drift off to sleep, you begin to hear a familiar tune,[ from Everywhere and Nowhere](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyVnoJHieaU)


	6. Welcome to the Velvet Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Exactly what it says on the tin.

[You here sound from Everywhere and Nowhere](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjSlhnFFOVo). It is a familiar sound, the same sound that came with the Evoker you carry, but it is a variation of it. A Truer Version if that makes any sense.

You feel yourself still dreaming, yet not dreaming. You feel real, yet not real.

You find yourself in a room, that looks like an odd mix of an old-fashion observatory complete with large telescope, and a nightclub. You are on a fine couch, and you see various people.

You see a human man with an impossibly large nose and fine suit discussing things in an eldritch tongue with a nude Asari, an Asari more beautiful then any you have seen, lounging on the couch. They are on couch across from you. You see also a female Turian singing the familiar tune, and a Salarian playing Piano in the back of the room. You see what looks like an ever-shifting being looking through the telescope, at the Citadel in the void.

“Ah, Welcome to the Velvet Room, I am Igor.” The impossibly nosed man says.

“And I am Odiya” The Asari says.

“This place exists, between Dream and Reality, Mind and Matter” Igor continued.

“This place exists to further development, to allow you to fuse Persona into more powerful ones.” Odiya then continued.

“You are human and born on Earth, which would put you under my domain normally” Igor says

  
“But you are living on the Citadel, which puts you under the authority of my master, the Nameless” Odiya said gesturing to the being observing the Citadel.

“I have given Odiya full trust and authority of your development, but I will check in time from time” Igor followed up.

You nod, understanding but not understanding.

“You have been bound by contract, and we will see your development through. You are the first Wildcard in more then a century. You have a lot to live up to” Odiya said

You say you know.

“Good” Odiya and Igor replied.

“We will talk more when are not recovering from a night of drinking” Odiya says. She and Igor resumed talking in their eldritch language, as the scent of bacon and pancakes awakens you to the realm of the physical.


	7. Making Pancakes, Making Bacon Pancakes.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pancakes are Made, Lies are Found Out and Plans are Agreed On.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Real Maple Syrup must be expensive in the future.

You are drawn to the smell of bacon, maple syrup and pancakes, and the sound of conversation.

You see Zail cooking up a storm of food, wearing loose tee-shirt, apron and sweatpants. You see Xan off on a couch eating an Asari brand of cereal, which if you had to guess looks like a brand primarily marketed to children, while playing on their omni-tool, ignoring the conversation. Xan is dressed already in comfy clothing, probably planning to leave soon.

Lili looking lovely in pajamas, with her Elcor girlfriend wearing a matching pair next to her. Michal looks still asleep, probably suffering from mild hangover. Kinney is eating a bowl of spiced bugs along with the bacon and pancakes, casually nude. The four of them are talking about each other’s life. 

“Ah Makoto, is it? Welcome, I am Lili K’Zal and this is Freya.” Lili gestured to herself, then the Elcor as she made introductions.

“Pleasantly: Salutations, I am Exorcist Freya” Freya gave greetings as Elcor do.

You give your introductions and sit down and grab some food.

Conversation was engaging. Lili and Freya had a lovely date, and Xan had won their tournament, though Xan did not seem to be paying attention to your group. Freya is an Exorcist of several decades and effective second in command of them, which she says with Pride, though she also mentions she has her own group of Exorcists she commands, rather then working directly with or under Zail. You begin to ask how Freya and Lili met, but you here a ringtone come from Zail’s omni-tool, which he reacts to with annoyance.

“Great, The Council” Zail says with mild disdain. He begins to move away from food, and gestures to his mother to take over for the food while he takes the call, but the Council is not one to wait apparently and you here an Asari voice talk through the tool even though Zail had not officially answered the call.

“Zail K’Zal, by Order and Authority of the Council, I am taking control of your comm systems” A voice you recognize from the news as Councillor Tevos, begins speaking through the tool. Zail looks a bit panicked and annoyed, and a holographic Asari appears at the center of the table, the previously just voiced Tevos.

“Councillor Tevos, to what do I have the _Unexpected_ Honor?” Zail says through gritted teeth, as he tries to straighten himself out. You see Freya begin to move next to Zail, probably to help her fellow Exorcist. Xan has ditched the game and has moved to turn off the stove with their omni-tool, though they are looking a bit panicked. Kinney biotics away to her and Zail’s room, probably to get clothing on. Michal and Lili move away from the table, though Michal brought his plate with him and continued eating. You stay still, confused.

“Your report is full of holes, why are you lying to the Council, and why are you dragging _Civilians_ into your retinue” Tevos spoke at a normal pitch but had anger and authority in it.

“The System’s Alliance, local anti-shadow groups and governments matched my story. I did not lie” Zail said, trying to keep himself from betraying himself.

“Oh really?” A new voice, a male turian voice, spoke up and another hologram emerged on the table. You recognize this person from the news as well, Saren Arterius. His presence knocks Zail backwards and Freya gives pause.

“Saren, did you really dig though my report to spite me?” Zail says.

“Well I had to check up on my _“Dear Mentor”_ when I heard he was attacked.” Saren looked annoyed. Freya looked at Zail and you could see the confusion in her elcor face even though that would normally be difficult.

“An unknown rouge element planted a Dark Hour bomb to draw me out. I tried to destroy it, but they had planted another bomb customed to me, but 2 civilian persona users rescued me and allowed me to destroy the bomb. That is a summery of my report. I rewarded the Civilians who saved me with a night on the town and with their consent will grant them training so that they might become Exorcists should they choose, given their powerful Persona abilities.” Zail said “My Agents and Earth Authorities are still looking into the rouge element.”

“Yes, but how did a Civilian acquire an archaic Evoker to save you?” Saren said, hologram stepping off the table as Saren approached Zail.

“Oh that, it was mine, did not think it worked still. A gift from a friend from Earth’s Anti-Shadow teams. I gave it to Makoto thinking it would be a good luck charm. Turns out it still worked.” Zail lied, but it was convincing. “I left it out of the report because I was still recovering from the mind-burn out.”

Saren checked his Omni-tool and gave a smug look. He knew the lie but decided to play along. “Fine, but I will be keeping an eye on Makoto, Michal and YOU.” Saren says, logging out.

Tevos looked annoyed, not getting the results she wanted. “It appears we are at an impasse. I have seen your request for the weapons and Evoker license for Makoto, as well as the training time, and will approve them, but will withdraw them if I sense anything going wrong. You are toeing an edge the Council does not like, Prime Exorcist, you better know what you are doing.” Tevos logged out, and everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief.

“Annoyed: You lied on the report?” Freya said accusatorily, breaking the silence

“Xan, are we being monitored?” Zail says returning to his cooking.

“Not anymore” Xan said, they sign.

“Good. I did, but I needed to. Makoto is a Wildcard and I don’t want the Council to get up in arms about it.” Zail

“THEY ARE WHAT!” Freya screamed, forgetting to preface her words, turning her head more rapidly then you have seen Elcor do, towards you. Xan looked shocked and they scanned you to confirm it. They looked more shocked when it turned up true.

“Look, last few Wildcards to pop on official Council record died horrible deaths that still have yet to be solved. I don’t want the dude who saved me to suffer that fate until I know what is going on.” Zail said defensively.

“Determined: I will go along with this, because I respect you and want to protect Makoto,” Freya righted herself “With Emphasis: A Civilian, but if I sense things going wrong, I will report to the Council”

“I expect nothing less” Zail bowed to his fellow Exorcist out of respect.

Michal popped up, “That story about you having an archaic Evoker, is that true?” he asked.

Zail responded “Yes and no. I did have an archaic evoker I received as a gift on me at the time but was decommissioned more then a century ago. It was little more then a good luck charm. Guess it was lucky I had it.”

You remember you mentioned getting the Evoker from the White Haired Woman, in the Dream that was Not A Dream, during the flight on the “Dagger of Purity”.

You ask about Saren.

“Somehow, he was tight lipped about its origins, he acquired a Persona ability 10 years ago and the council hired me to train him. We were friends for a bit after that, but we had a falling out because of our methods. I don’t like talking about it” Zail responded

You ask about any other lies he should have told you about.

“Nah, I want to keep the origin of your Evoker and power a secret until I know what is going on” Zail said, finishing the last of the pancakes on the stove.

Kinney returned from the room changed into her clothing, an outfit you have seen on many Drell in media, the long coat with a shirt that left the chest exposed to limit moisture. She carries a briefcase and has 2 guns on her belt and a sword.

“What are those for” Michal asked. He had finished his pancakes and bacon.

“This briefcase is full of Zail and I’s personal collection of pistols, some of which will soon be your pistols” Kinney responded. “Tevos said your weapon and Evoker licenses are approved, so I figured I might as well get some options for today”

“Again, I am not pressuring you into becoming Exorcists, but I figure since we have some down time before schools starts, I figure I could use some combat training in case the rouge element comes after me again and drags you in.” Zail says.

You and Michal agree to training today, but you ask to also receive a tour of the Citadel on the way there and back. Zail agrees.

“Encouragingly: I will come with you” Freya says.

Xan says in Asari Sign Language that they have had a bit too much excitement for today and would like to just chill for a bit. They do offer to take you to some of their favorite places later in the week though. Lili says she will help Xan recover from the stimulus and will clean up the kitchen as well.

With your plans set, you head off to the shooting range.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Xan is autistic, or the Asari equivalent.


	8. guns, Guns, GUNS!!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which you receive your guns and Knighted, sort of.

Zail changed into his “casual combat” outfit as he called it. It was a similar long coat to the one Kinney wore, over a vest and leather pants. He grabbed a suitcase full of his preferred guns, along with 2 trench-knives he stowed in sheaths on his belt, the knives gifts from his father, and summoned a large cab.

Freya ordered her VI-drone, this one a large floating carrier that carried some light-by-Elcor-standard weapons, with her. A Elcor-assistant drone helped her change quicky out of her PJs into a more casual Elcor outfit.

Michal changed into casual clothes, preferring a light t-shirt and shorts, and grabbed a bag. Filled with the essentials such as his M-3 Predator pistol, 2 flasks of vodka, a large water bottle full of water and ice, a first-aid kit and some snacks. 

Xan uses their Persona, Tali, to cast a spell on you that masks the Fool Arcana nature of your Persona into that of the Star Arcana. They say the spell will last for a few weeks, and they can cast it again when needed. It will prevent scanners from knowing the true nature of your power they say.

As the cab left the K’zal house, Lili waved you off before returning inside to take care of Xan.

You and Michal got window seats in the back and you stared in wonder of the Ward you now lived. Bustling bastion of industry, science, art and all things that make up your civilization. 

“Calm Happiness: It was like that for me when I first saw the Citadel. Good time” Freya said, sitting across from you. “More Serious, But Not Mad: Where did you get the Evoker?” she followed with. The cab was VI driven and checked for bugs, it was a safe topic to broach.

Michal and Zail looked nervous but you admit a woman in blue gave it to you in a pseudo-Velvet Room, before you arrived at the spaceport.

“Mild Shock: You have been to a Velvet Room?” Freya says. All the attendants of the cab looked at you. Intensely, including Michal.

No and yes, you say. You say that encounter with the Velvet attendant on Earth was not a true Velvet Room, but you did attend a true Velvet Room the night before, and you mention the presence of Odiya and Igor.

This baffled and concerned the Exorcists.

“Odiya…. Listen Makoto, Velvet Rooms are a big deal. I have been to one once, when Odiya helped me save Xan when we got our Personas” Zail explained “Be sure to record your meetings with them after the fact, they are important for Exorcists to keep track of.”

You nod in response to this.

“Igor, I know that name. Master of Earth’s Velvet Rooms. My ancestor wrote about him.” Michal said.

“As much as I would love to contribute to the conversation, we are 60 seconds from arriving at the shooting range, and it would be best if we ended this conversation to save face. The Velvet Room will probably be their when we return home.” Kinney brings reason as she gets ready to exit the cab.

You all agree with Kinney and get your things in order. You look outside, and notice you are in a lower economic class section of the Citadel. You ask why?

“What you think Exorcists get dedicated shooting ranges? Like Specters, C-sec or Security Companies? Nah.” Zail waves you off “We go to public shooting ranges, with this one I arranged a deal with a few years ago. Exorcists get a discount for training here since I helped fund an expansion for it”

“Plainly: I helped, also it is one of the few shooting ranges on the Citadel that allows Persona users to use their powers. My idea” Freya added.

The Cab dropped you off and your party left the cab. It was a large well-maintained building a less well-maintained part of town. Merchants selling things mongered their wares talked up as your wealthy group entered the area, but Zail said to ignore them. Your group entered the building.

You spot several different people in the building, mostly human. Zail mentioned this was a mostly human neighborhood, with some Krogan and Batarian refugees.

The manager notices your group and she nods to Zail as your party enters.

Kinney summons a table drone and she and Zail set their briefcases down as you and Michal grab ear-protection for the party. Freya’s drones arm her with a back-mounted Gatling Gun and ear protection.

“Ok pick a gun, probably should start you off with the pistols” Zail says as he grabs his favored guns, a set of 2 Disciple Shotguns he dual wields.

You look among the pistols taking your time while Michal grabs an M-9 Tempest. “Always wanted one of these” he says.

You grab a M-5 Phalanx, a gun you used in a favored video game, after much deliberation. Kinney smirks at the idea using a gun just because you thought it was cool in a video game.

Both you and Michal head for the range and begin shooting. You impress your elder Exorcists given you both already know how to shoot well, given both of your families teaching you how to shoot since you could walk. 

Michal declines another weapon, saying he is content with the 2 he has now, and would prefer to keep his weapon weight low to better power his Tech Tools. Zail agrees, though requisitions the upgrade kit to turn Michal’s civilian Predator into a proper version.

You look through the weapons Zail brought, none appealing, until you see something with a warning label on it. You pick it up, to Zail and Kinney’s mild concern, and it not a brand of gun you recognize from your research.

“That is Junk Breaker, a thing me and Kinney “invented” one drunken evening. It was broken shotgun we modified into a grenade launcher….... Please not that one, I keep meaning to throw it away. I don’t even know how it got into the case.” Zail says with concern in his voice.

You ignore him and take the gun to the firing zone and shoot it at a target, the single shot triggering the cooling system of the launcher. The recoil is mild to your surprise, less then the pistol you now use, and the target explodes instantly. You say that you want it, and you are renaming it “Conviction”.

“Fine, but I forbid you from carrying it around the Citadel casually. If you want that, you be responsible with it” Zail says. You agree.

A courier Salarian arrives on a sky-bike and says they have something of top concern from the Council. Zail says he has been expecting it and tips the courier 13 times the normal rate for such a delivery and takes the package. The Salarian takes off with glee.

“Makoto, I hereby grant you, with Authority of the Citadel Council and as Prime Exorcist, Your Official Citadel Evoker. Plus a military-grade gun license” Zail says as he adds the Evoker component to your Omni-tool. “Oh and Michal, your permissions for Military-grade gun licence, as well as Evoker permission, have processed as well.” He adds, with Michal giving a thumbs up to that.

“Glee: Congratulations” Freya says as Kinney gives a clap. Some of the other attendants of the range give a clap as well.

“Now Show Us What Your Personas Can Do” Zail says, as you and Michal return to the Shooting Gallery and ready yourselves.

“Ready” asks Michal, to which you respond “Always”

** _PERSONA_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kept adding to the number that Zail tipped the courier.


	9. Food Food Food, Bonding Over Food.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eat, Drink and Be Merry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this house we do not bother with Heat Sinks.

You and Michal were exhausted after using your Personas to show off to your peers, you more so then Michal.

  
“Ah new-users, always trying to show off with the Persona abilities, but always learning that such powers are limited in Real-Space.” Kinney said laughing. Zail was also smiling and you could tell Freya was smiling underneath the Elcor “stoicism”. “Don’t worry, I was like that when I first got my Persona” Kinney followed up.

“Happily: I Brought Snacks For Humans That Help With The Exhaustion” Freya said as her helper drone gave you and Michal some SP-booster bars and coffee. You devoured the bars and chugged the coffee, while Michal took his slower. 

“If you want to train more, fine, but I think you are plenty exhausted for today. Best not to strain yourself with Persona use, trust me it never works out long term.” Zail says as he checks his Omni-tool for time and locations. “I say we could do some nice tourism of the Citadel on the way back to Exorcist HQ, aka our house. I know of several stores and facilities that probably have interest to both of you” 

You and Michal agree, plus you were starting to get a bit hungry for Lunch. Michal picks a nearby multicultural place for you all to eat and your party hops in the cab to the location after packing up all the guns. Zail buys you a holster for your new Phalanx, while Michal simply puts his Tempest in his bag with the rest of his things.

“Just remember that normal weapons are not allowed in certain areas, including the Citadel-U Campus, even for Exorcists. Evokers are allowed there since they are considered important religious items, it is an Asari custom that they have not bothered to change, so you can always keep you Evoker with you anywhere“ Zail explains on the cab trip to the restaurant.

“Bluntly: Just Don’t Be Reckless. You Are Not Proper Exorcists, And Tevos Has Her Eye On You 2” Freya followed up.

“Why does she care so much” Michal asks as he ate one of his snacks, a candy bar, and gave some to you.

“The Asari councillor is the one that oversees Exorcist operations, and Tevos does not like Zail at all.” Kinney explained. “She has been wanting to kick Zail out of the Prime Exorcist job for decades, but so far she has had no official reason to be able to”

“She does not like you why?” Michal said concerned why you ate the chocolate he gave you.

“I irk her. I think she does not my criticism of Asari culture, among my other criticisms of the current systems. The other 2 councillors like me though, or at least tolerate me.” Zail explained “I think it is because I am VERY good about paper-work and reports, and I encourage other Exorcists to do the same”

“How did you get the Prime Exorcist job if you are not liked by the person that is supposed to manage you” Michal said, intrigued by the political drama.

“The role of Prime Exorcist is chosen by the Exorcists themselves, via vote. Zail was nominated by the last Prime Exorcists, his mentor, the Beloved Late Matriarch Omna T’Gaia.” Kinney explained “I wish I could have met her.”

“Fondly: She Was Great. More Serious: I Am Effectively Next In Line For Prime Exorcist, And I Support Most OF Zail’s Policies. Zail Is Popular Among Exorcists, Or At Least Tolerated, And He is Liked By Most Non-Exorcists He Works With. If He Is Removed Forcibly, A Good Chunk Of Exorcists Would Leave To Work For Home-world, Colony Or Private Anti-Shadow Forces, Or Like Me, Stay And Be A Problem For Tevos.” Freya Said.

Zail looked embarrassed, “Awe, your making me blush.” He said smiling, his tattooed face blushing a brighter shade of blue.

Your cab arrives at the Restaurant, the _Unifying Table_. Your party sits down and orders your food from a waiter drone. Zail orders fried Asari root vegetables (basically French Fries) and a large amount spiced Varren meat. Kinney orders a plate full of a rice equivalent, and spiced bugs from the Drell homeworld. Freya orders a large amount of sautéed vegetables and Elcor bread. Michal has linguine and sausage with a spicy tomato sauce. You order rice and spicy curry.

The conversation you have over food is interesting. The topic was mostly about you and Michal and your respective histories.

You talked about your parents, William and Sana. They raised you to be a soldier being soldiers themselves, but you were inspired by a teacher to pursue sociology and diplomacy for University. Your parents supported your decision. You still maintain the physical training your parents taught you even now. You maintain your interest in diplomacy or teaching, though you say being an Exorcist is tempting.

Michal’s 19th century ancestor was a Wildcard, and her lineage has protected Russia from Shadow based threats since then. Michal’s 7 siblings, of which he is the 8th and youngest, all pursued various Shadow-based jobs to success, and Michal decided he wanted to be a doctor instead. He still desires to be a doctor, though combat medic for the Exorcist seems like an interesting position.

As you eat, you feel your bond with the Exorcists grow.

_PING!_

_“Thou Art I and I am Thou”  
“Thou Hast Formed A New Bond”_

_“These Are The Bonds That Shall Change The Galaxy”_

_“You Have Awakened The Power of the Fool Arcana” _

As you finish your food, Freya pays for the food while Zail gives a tip 13x the standard amount.

Your party moves to a nearby shopping mall, The Metro-Station, a favored one of Zail’s and he shows you its facilities. It contains the only physical bookstore in the Ward, much to Michal’s delight, and a meeting club for the local Social Activist group, much to your interest (You make a note to visit during a meeting day). The facility contains arcades, bars, stores, restaurants and all the wonders of Galactic Capitalism.

Your party stops by a specialty weapons shop and Zail shows you how best to order parts for your new guns. With this knowledge and your new Military Grade Weapons pass, you purchase 2 blocks of Incendiary Ammo for your pistol, some upgrade parts for the pistol as well and parts to better stabilize Conviction. Michal orders Ice Ammo for his SMG and Pistol, along with upgrade parts. With that excitement out of the way, Zail takes you to a specialty food store and buys a large hunk of meat from a game animal from Thessia, as well as some Batarian Beer. Kinney buys some fish from a Hanar colony and some spices native to the Drell home-world. You buy some curry packets your mom used for her curry along with your favored type of rice, while Michal buys flour and other ingredients for quality bread. Freya declines to buy anything here.

With your spending out of the way, you move back to Exorcist HQ (aka, home) and take turns in the kitchen. Zail sets his roast up to slow cook in a crockpot, You prep rice and curry on a stove using vegetables/meat you found in the K’Zal fridge, Kinney uses another section of the stove to prep her alien grains and fish, while Michal prepares his bread while having left over pancakes for dinner. Freya says she is full of lunch. Lili is at work while Xan is at therapy.

You ask what Xan eats for dinner, and Zail says that Xan tends to eat speciality food because of sensory issues, with most of their food being stored in the fridge in their room. 

Xan arrives first, and signs greetings to your party before heading towards their room. Zail says Xan has a bit of a gaming addiction, but they are getting better. The fact they signed hello willingly is sign of improvement.

Zail receives a text message from Xan. “They say they want to take you to their favored places tomorrow. Their favored arcade, and the day after the Citadel Public Archives and later in the week the Exorcist labs. That is an impressive amount of socialization for them. I will text them that you approve.” Zail says smiling before texting his sibling and returning to his cooking.

Lili arrives soon after and Zail tells her both of his day and the amount of socialization that Xan is willing to do. Lili is glad and says she brought take-out for herself and for later.

You each eat dinner separately, mostly consumed with omni-tool entertainment while eating, though Lili and Freya use the obscenely large TV to watch a Millennium old Asari movie. 

You each turn in for the night, and as you turn to sleep, you dream but not dream, hearing a song both familiar and strange, From Everywhere and Nowhere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If it seems like I am going through setting up S-links fast, I know I am, and will slow down once I am done setting up things and move onto the school arc.


	10. Welcome to the Velvet Apartment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elizabeth in Space, What Crimes Will She Commit? 
> 
> Many!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How much you think an Apartment on the Citadel costs anyhow?

You feel yourself once more in the pseudo-Velvet Room, but it looks and sounds different this time.

The Aria is distinct from the one on Earth, “purer” if that makes sense. The Velvet Room is more solidified, not simple Aether. You rest on a couch, in what looks like a nice living room in a Citadel apartment.

The pale woman enters from the front door of this Velvet Apartment, and from what you see in the brief glimpse outside the door………

You are on the Citadel still? “What The Hell” you question to yourself, but find you said out loud.

“Goodness me, such rudeness. I thought you would be more polite to the woman who saved your life.” The Pale Woman says.

You apologize, it is just that you are surprised to still be on the Citadel given how the other Velvet Room was distinct from the Citadel. You also give thanks to her for her giving you the initial Evoker.

“Oh, you have been to your true Velvet Room? Was my former Master there? Igor, with the long nose” she asks

You say you did indeed meet Igor, he of long nose, along with Odiya, she of no clothes.

“I have heard of this Odiya. She is mighty indeed to wander the worlds with out clothing” The Pale Woman says.

You ask forgiveness, but you ask the Pale Woman her name.

“You are right, I have yet to give you my name. I am Elizabeth, once of Earth’s Velvet Room, though I will be staying on the Citadel to keep an eye on you, among other things. Like you, I am a Wildcard.” She says bringing the book she holds up and instantly summoning a Persona, which looks like a dozen cultural visions of Death mashed together, which she names Thanatos.

You are shocked, another Wildcard? A Velvet Room attendant? To be both? You panic, you are tempted to weep in joy and sing and so much.

But first you have a question.

You ask if there is anyone else like us, other living wildcards.

“A few, our number is growing thin though in recent years. Do not worry my little neophyte, I will protect you as I have tried to protect the other wildcards” Elizabeth says

You feel a bond with this woman, this Goddess among Fools, and she knows this and you feel the trust.

PING!

_“Thou Art I and I am Thou”  
“Thou Hast Formed A New Bond”_

_“These Are That Shall Change The Galaxy”_

_“You Have Awakened The Power of the Death Arcana” _

You ready yourself with another batch of questions, but you both here the door open and Odiya is standing there closing the door behind her. She is as nude as the time you first saw her, save one minor covering. A thick chain belt wrapped around her waist, bound to another chain, which is in-turn bound to a thick book she holds, thicker than the one Elizabeth carries. Elizabeth panics and summons her Persona.

Odiya speaks calmly, reassuringly, and Elizbeth calls back Thanatos after hearing “Peace be upon you, Elizabeth. I am here not to fight, but to talk. I to seek to protect the Wildcards, just as you do, and that includes you.”

“Including me…?” Elizabeth is thrown off by this, but has a glint in her eye, one of hope.

“Your former master has tasked me to protect you as I protect the young Exorcist.” Odiya points at you “and I am here to negotiate the terms of our contracts, the one I have with the Exorcist and how you will play apart, and the one I will have with you.”

Elizabeth straightens herself out. “I am glad my former master still cares for me after all this time. I will gladly negotiate with you Oh Goddess Free of Clothing”

Odiya smiles. “Child, go back to the physical realm. Your parents are calling. We will talk next time you dream.”

Odiya snaps her fingers and you awaken to the sound of your omni-tool buzzing with a priority call, the ringtone you specified to your parents.

You smile and answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am done hunting through different versions of the Velvet Room theme. Just find your preferred versions and play when appropriate.


	11. Gifts of Blade and Junk Food

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You Answer The Call, 
> 
> Of Your Loving Parents.

You answer the call on your Omni-tool and are greeted with the sight of an older bearded white man and a well aged Japanese woman, your parents William Lee and Sana Kujo. They are excited to see you, and you them. While you have been texting them of your days on the Citadel, with Zail checking you are not revealing too much, this is the first video talk you have had with them since leaving Earth.

“Hey kid” Your father greets you. “Makoto!!!” Your mother exclaims.

You give your greetings to them and you discuss your days on the Citadel. You move to leave the room as the request to see the people taking care of you, but are thrown off as they mention a package they had sent you which you have not received yet.

“Oy, Makoto, Package!” Michal says holding a huge box. You ask Michal to set put it down, as more of your party comes out to see what the noise is about.

“Hey, are those your parents? Xan, please throw them up on a projector drone” Zail asks his sibling. Xan complies and the image of your parents disappears from your Omni-tool with your permission and is projected into the holo-comm system of the K’Zal house.

While you have been sending your parents images and descriptions of those you live with, this is the first time they have seen your housemates in motion.

“Wow you must be Zail” Your mother says looking at the Prime Exorcist. “And You Michal” your father says staring at his rival of beard.

Your housemates and parents exchange greetings and pleasantries, but your parents ask of you to open their care-package.

You unbind the lock on it with the password your parents give you and are greeted to the sight of so much junk food. Mostly your favored ones from your childhood, along with your favored types of booze. Some healthy food is mixed in as you sort through it, but as you dig, you find 2 boxes with the case, one long and one small.

Your parents tell you to open the long one first. It contains a Katana, and when you move to unsheathe it you realize it is an Alliance model of Vibro-Sword, able to cut though shield, armor and flesh in a single blow. Your eyes go open, as do the rest of your party as your parents cheer on.

“When we mentioned to our still active System’s Alliance friends that our child is being considered a recruit for the Exorcists, they commissioned the Blade for you. Sana received a sword from her parents when she joined the military, but hers is a traditional Katana, the one in the living room you nearly cut yourself on when you were 8.” Your father says.

You bow in thanks to the hologram of your parents, and your mother tells you to open the other box. It contains a simple combat knife, no flare or electronic bits.

“That knife is made from the combined broken bits of the knives your father and I used during the First Contact War. We had planned to give it to you if you joined the military, and since you are being prospected for Exorcist, we figured now was a good time.” Your mother says, beginning to cry in joy as your father wept in joy.

You began to cry in joy as well and you have a healthy talk with your parents.

Your parents as one last thing of you before they must go to work. They want to see your Persona.

You summon Enterprise and they clap in joy. They log off, wishing you well and your party waves them good day.

“Wow your parents are handsome. I see where you get your good looks from” Michal says.

Zail goes to the home’s fabricator unit and quickly prints off a display stand for your new sword. “Ok Vibro-Blades are a “You must be an active Exorcist to public carry” kind of weapon, so that stays here unless it is an emergency, or you become a proper Exorcist” Zail says taking the display stand to your room. 

You mention you saw the woman who gave the archaic evoker to you again, her name being Elizabeth, and she had met with Odiya before you woke up. Zail says this is good to know.

Xan signs they are ready for the day, and that they are wanting to take you and Michal to their favored arcade. Zail says he wants to have a private date with Kinney today which Kinney agrees to, and Lili and Freya say they have busy days today.

You and Michal agree and grab your things. You give the Archaic Evoker to Zail to put in the K’Zal family safe for safe-keeping and grab your things. You put your Katana, which you have named “_Hikaru_” on the display stand Zail made in your room and set your Pistol (which you have named “Jigen”) and Knife (named “Goemon” you have decided) on your belt, as well as grabbing a bag containing a water bottle and snacks. Michal grabs his bag which contains largely the same things as yesterday, though he leaves the Tempest SMG in his room.

Xan wears comfy clothing and has large, sound dampening earphones on. They carry no visible weapons though you realize they have biotics and Omni-tool weapons.

Xan signs they will stop by a tech store to get you and Michal some Omni-tool weapons as well if you want.

You ask how they know about what you were thinking, to which Xan replies you think loud, to the point they were able to pick up the thoughts with their Persona.

“Think quite around you. Got it” Michal says as he makes visible effort to not think hard, though gives up. “I do want to get some Omni-tool weapons though. I have some ideas” he follows up.

Xan signs they have a favored store you can all go to near the arcade, plus since you and Michal have military grade weapons licenses, you can get some cool stuff.

Xan summons their sky car, looks like a mash-up of an Alliance Drop Ship and an old 20th century Volkswagen Beetle. You all hop in and head to the arcade.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was going to be the Arcade chapter, but then I realized I wanted to give Makoto a sword and thought it would be cute if their parents gave it to them.


	12. NERDS!!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Video Games Are Important Art.

The sky-car flies you to The Metro-Station and it descends into the underground sections of it to the parking facility.

Xan signs that arcades on the Citadel are public venues for game developers to allow the public to test their wares. The Arcades also serve as community gathering places, and physical archives of historical video games, allowing the public to play older games reliably. Xan signs also that they were part of the integration team when it came time to begin archiving Humanity’s video games. Xan compliments the human enthusiasm for video game.

Michal says something at that “You would been how old then?”.

Xan does some math in their head and say they would have been in their 70s, with them being a 120 now.

“They had a kid do archive work?” Michal asks.

Xan signs as you all walk that they are a prodigy when it comes to archive work, especially when it comes to games. It is what they do as a reserve Exorcist for the most part. 

You ask what they mean as a “reserve Exorcist”.

Xan signs that because of their age and neurodivergence, they were not permitted to be trained as an Exorcist like Zail was when they acquired their Persona. Xan largely stuck to archival/research work for decades until they turned 100, in which case Zail allowed Xan to come on some missions when a navigator was needed.

Because Exorcists are at the limit of what the Council permits the Exorcists to have on full payroll, Xan is merely a reserve, which they sign is what you and Michal will be, given the Exorcists are not supposed to be hiring full time ones currently.

“When did you and Zail acquire your Persona” Michal asks.

At this, Xan fiddles with their Omni-tool and sends a link to you and Michal’s Omni-tools. Xan then signs they will explain later, for you have arrived at The Synapse Nexus, and Xan would like to focus on games for now.

The place was not packed, though people were there. People both at stations allowing their wares to be sampled, and people playing games were hard at work. Xan walked up to the manager’s counter where an older Asari greeted Xan in Asari sign, to which Xan greeted back. They began a “silent” conversation in sign, talking shop, while you and Michal moved to try some of the games.

You and Michal enjoyed a fusion fighter named “Infinite Galactic Dream”, an Asari developed game which integrates all the iconic fighting game characters of the various races in Citadel space. You sampled a Turian game where you played as Exorcists called “Nightmare Fight” which was fun. You even found a classic Featherman arcade system, which Michal insisted on calling “Raptor Rangers” purposely to annoy you, but you let it slide since you also enjoy Raptor Rangers. 

Xan finishes their conversation with the manager and goes to a newer system to which they invite you and Michal to. It was a combat simulation game which used hard light and other systems to simulate combat, a simpler version of the one used both by official militarys and PMCs to train. Xan reminds you not to use Persona in this, and to stick to just the toy guns given.

You play with Michal and Xan for about 2 hours and it was some of the most fun video game time you ever had. Michal is a brilliant Combat Engineer, you did well in Stealth and you were actually surprised how well Xan handled themselves as a Sentinel. You were initially putting emphasis on protecting them, but Xan took on much of the enemy on their own without your help. 

After completing the first batch of missions, Xan signs they are hungry. You and Michal agree. You go to the food court and grab some grub. Michal buys a large amount of food from various cultures, you grab some stir-fry and noodles, while Xan grabs bland chicken tenders with asari fries and a cola. Xan signs the reason they wanted to do the combat simulation game was to see the type of Omni-tool weapons they would want to buy for you, to match the ones you would use in game, along with having a nice day of gaming.

Michal says he figured that was the reason, but he says he enjoyed himself, to which you agree. You are then reminded of the article Xan sent you and you boot it up.

The article detailed a terrorist attack by a Persona Worshiping Cult more then 50 years ago, a psychic bomb that forced people to confront their Shadows. You question if Xan was involved and Xan says they and Zail were victims of the bomb. Xan signs that Zail was able to accept his Shadow and awaken to Persona immediately, which allowed him to use Persona to rescue Xan, giving Xan enough time and pep-talk to accept their Shadow and awaken to Persona.

“Heard about this cult, The Bearers of Truth. My eldest siblings were dealing with a bunch of them popping up on Earth as I was leaving for the Citadel.” Michal says.

With food finished, your party goes to the Tech weapon store and Xan talks with the Salarian managing it, again talking shop. You and Michal give proof of your Military grade licenses and look about the wares. Xan insisted about buying you a Stealth Cloak on Zail’s orders, which you agree to, but also pick up a Flamethrower component for your Omni-tool as well as the “Fortification” type of over-armor. Michal grabs an improved version of the “Energy Drain” omni-tool component, a Cryo-beam and the feared Demolition Blaster.

Xan pays, and tells you that Freya will see to getting you armor tomorrow. They remind you that these are weapons thus not allowed on Citadel-U campus, even if they are part of your omni-tool. They sign they will fabricate safes for your room to store your weapons while you are on campus. 

As you return to the car. You here a soft voice in your head, which you can tell Michal hears as well. “Thank you for this” you hear.

You can tell it was Xan’s persona telepathy and you thank her in the little Asari sign you picked up.

Xan smiles, and you all enter the car.

PING!

_“Thou Art I and I am Thou”  
“Thou Hast Formed A New Bond”_

_“These Are The Bonds That Shall Change The Galaxy”_

_“You Have Awakened The Power of the Wheel of Fortune Arcana” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Asari manager at the Arcade is deaf. The Arcade will be a recurring location.


	13. Calm before the Dawn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You upgrade your gun while life goes on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Simple chapter to bridge to the next S-link.

You, Michal, and Xan return to the K’Zal house. Xan set off to fabricate the safes for your things, Michal flops on a couch and watches anime, and you set off to stabilize Conviction on the kitchen table with some tools provided by one of the maid droids.

The 3 of you receive text messages from your housemates. Lili is off at work as a dance instructor, Freya is having a day at the Elcor cultural center, and Zail and Kinney have a rather intense “date” (they fucking) in their room, with a request that they are not to be disturbed unless it is an emergency.

Xan turns on their Omni-tool and watches some Asari animation while the safes are built. You look up the “plans” that Zail gave you the original design for Conviction (he really did design this thing drunk), while Michal switches from anime to medical journals.

Xan texts you the safes are done and has the drones take the safes to your and Michal’s rooms, before Xan returns to their room. You catch a glimpse of the inside and note it is notably clean and filled with more gaming devices. Michal heads off to his room for some private time, and you begin disassembling Conviction to add the stabilizing parts.

You work in mostly silence, save for a podcast played in your comm piece and the occasional pestering of maid droids, either you requesting them for tools, or them asking if you need anything.

Zail and Kinney come out of there room after an hour of you working in silence, at about 5pm (You remember you left the house for the arcade at 10am). They are dressed casually, looking satisfied and exhausted. You notice bruises and minor cuts on both, and a look of concern begins to form on your face, but Kinney notices.

“We take turns topping and like it rough. We are “Kind of Freaks” as you humans might say” Kinney says. This alleviates some of your concerns and puts lewd thoughts in your head. You wonder if they would want a third some time.

Zail grabs some drinks from the fridge and some ice packs from the freezer, hands some off to Kinney. They flop on the couch and set up some Asari co-op shooter while applying ice to needed areas, while ordering the maid droids to rub healing solutions and bandages on others.

You leave them to their game and aftercare. You are almost done the upgrades to Conviction.

Lili returns home and greets you. You finish the upgrades to Conviction (you should be able to get 2 grenades out before overheating triggers now, with cool down being more rapid now) while Lili preps some food for all of you. Michal and Xan come out for dinner, having some of the food while Zail and Kinney eat some on the couch, playing their game.

Freya returns from the cultural center. Lili kisses her, much to Freya’s delight.

“Politely: Michal and Makoto, I would like to take you shopping for armor tomorrow.” Freya says

You and Michal agree.

With your plans for tomorrow set up, you head off to bed.

You dream your normal dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah not much I know.


	14. The Truth of the Sun.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day with Freya.

You get up after dreaming your normal dreams, writing down your normal dreams in the journal Zail has you keep just in case they have meaning.

You grab a protein shake from your fridge and check the time. You had gotten up before anyone else. You grab your sword and mess around with it, not turning the Vibro-function on, but you prep a holographic VI mentor program you download.

You train with your blade, calling back to your Kendo lessons your mother insisted you get. Along with this you do some squats and other exercises. After an hour and 30 minutes, you grab another protein shake, some caffeine candy and have a shower. You promise to yourself to do your exercises more reliably, perhaps find a good gym nearby or on Citadel U campus.

You leave your room after changing post-shower. You find Michal consuming the bread he made earlier, made into French Toast.

You quietly steal some of his food as a friend does, but he does not seem to mind. You check your non-priority messages as you eat.

Zail and Kinney have Exorcist paperwork that needs doing, along with checking the status of the Exorcists on payroll, which will keep them out of the house for a few days. After checking the health of the Exorcists, they are going to have a proper date. Xan is doing a marathon session for double-XP in “Mind/Soul/Heart Realm Fantasy”, a Looter-Shooter popular on the Citadel. Lili is visiting old friends before work.

Freya comes out the room she shares with Lili and says that she is ready when ever you and Michal are.

You and Michal get going with Freya after you clean up.

Freya summons a cab and takes you surprisingly to the Presidium. On the way you and she have a chat.

“Plainly: Though The House We Live In Is Considered Exorcist Headquarters Because It Is Where Exorcists Live, Our Official Offices Are In The Presidium. Zail And Kinney Are There Now Doing Bureaucratic Work In Zail’s Office. Best Not Disturb Them. My Office, Which Governs The Citadel’s Anti-Shadow Division, Is Next To His. It Also Contains The Fabricators Which Will Forge Your Armor” Freya explains.

“Odd question if it ok to ask? How did you get your Persona?” Michal asked, “Kinney explained hers a bit when we went to The Little Death, Xan explained theirs and Zail’s, but I am curious about yours.”

“Honestly: I applied to go through the Elcor Rite of Mind/Soul Battle, an Elcor tradition, and faced my Shadow to awaken it to a Persona. This was more then 150 years ago. I am 280 now.”

You ask if that Is a normal way to acquire Persona.

“Honestly: Most Cultures Have An Analogous System, A Way Of Inducing A Shadow Confrontation, And It The Way Most Exorcists Acquire Persona.” Freya says

“Yeah, it is how I got mine. Family tradition” Michal says.

“Proudly: My Mother’s Family Are Soldiers, My Father’s Spiritual Leaders. I Applied For The Rite To Combine These Elements Of Me” Freya says.

You understand her, a person of two heritage and wanting to combine them. You feel a connection to her.

PING!

_“Thou Art I and I am Thou”  
“Thou Hast Formed A New Bond”_

_“These Are The Bonds That Shall Change The Galaxy”_

_“You Have Awakened The Power of the Sun Arcana”_

You arrive at the Presidium and walk to the Exorcist offices.

You see one with a “Do Not Disturb Unless Emergency” sign on it. Freya says that is Zail’s and she takes you to hers.

You find a decent sized office plainly decorated, complete with a high-grade military fabricator. You see photos mostly centering on Freya along the walls, including you recognize as being from the Elcor home world. 

Freya says that Exorcist armor, because it must be able to handle psychic incidents, must be customed more to the user more intently, thus preventing the armor from being sourced from a 3rd party like your guns were. The fabricator before you see has special materials and instruments that allow it to craft psychic sensitive equipment and other needed parts for the armor.

Freya summons several drones that scan you and Michal. Freya also summons her Persona, which resembled an Elcor covered in Eyes and with a head of a Star, to also scan you.

Freya says with the data Xan collected the day before with their Persona, and the data Freya gathered with hers, along with the scans from the drones, your armor should be done in a few days.

You ask why not simply scan you at the K’Zal house, why go all the way to the office. You begin to hear a voice in your head, one with authority, which you can tell Michal is also hearing.

“My Persona is a hybrid Navigator/Combat type, I can read your thoughts, I can TELL IF YOU ARE LYING!!! IS ZAIL HIDING ANYTHING ELSE!!!!” A voice with an unhealthy mix of Authority and Panic. You can tell it is Freya’s true voice.

You think no, he is not, and force your mind to flashback to the day you acquired your Persona. Your meeting with Elizabeth, to meeting Michal and Zail. You show Freya the discussions on the “Dagger of Purity” and the meeting at The Little Death. You start to show your entire life, but Freya backs off.

Freya nods. “Honestly: I am sorry I did that. I did not want to do that. Saren asked me to scan your mind, and I did not wish to disobey a Specter. I will verify your story, the one Zail gave on his official report, when Saren confronts me.”

You say you understand. Michal is a bit more irked but says that he expects a minor favor later.

Freya apologizes again. Your group leaves as the fabricator preps the armor.


	15. Reach Out For The Truth.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Freya Comes Clean.

Freya starts apologizing again once you get to the cab again, to return home.

You try to comfort her, but then her Omni-tool beeps with a text message.

“Apologetic Sadness: Saren Is On The Other End. He Expects Me To Tell Him That Zail Lied” Freya says and you can almost hear the despair.

You tell her to say that Zail told the truth, putting a comforting hand on her. Freya nods and begins typing a response. Elcor type on Omni-tool via sight and facial movement, clicking on a holographic keyboard projected in front of them by subtly moving their faces about like they do to speak, faster then they would be able to type via their fingers.

Saren responds “Fine, be that way”. Freya says Saren will not pursue her again, it is not his way, and if he does, she will report him to the Council.

“How did he convince you to try to get info from us” Michal asks, concerned

“Sadly: He Confronted Me At The Elcor Cultural Center. He Asked Me To Use My Persona On You 2. He Knows I Am Loyalty To The Council, And I Did Not Want To Cause A Scene At The Center” Freya said. Perhaps it is your empathy with her via your S-link, or just general empathy, but you can feel that her telling the truth to you is helping her recover from sadness.

“Did he threaten you” Michal said angrily

“Mild Anger Mixed With Sadness: Not Directly. He Values Loyalty, But He Used Mine Against Me. I Would Rather Not Let Zail Or The Others Know About This. I Will Handle This Myself. I Do Not Want Zail To Confront Saren” Freya says, healing. 

“Because Zail would lose?” Michal asks. 

“Plainly: Head To Head, Zail Would Probably Win If He Goes All Out, But If He Fights Saren, Zail Might Kill Him And Bring A Dangerous Discourse To The Council. Zail Might Lose Prime Exorcist Position Or Worse. Again, I Will Handle Saren.” Freya says, recovering. 

You say since this is about you, you will help with Saren if needed, to which Freya thanks you. You feel your bond with Freya grow.

PING!

_Your Bond With The Sun Arcana Has Grown._ **Level 2. **

“Weird Question, you can ignore if you want, if you answer you can consider this the favor you owe me : Is Freya your actual name, and is it a coincidence that it aligns with the name of a Norse Goddess?” Michal asks out of the blue.

“Happily: I Chose Freya As My “Human” Name For Pronunciation Purposes. I Studied Earth Goddesses For A Goddess Analogous To My True Name, For A Similar Diety. My Actual Name Can Not Be Pronounced By Human Tongue. Lots Of People Have Many Names For Pronunciation Purposes. Elcor Names Are Also Long And Collected Over The Years Based On Deeds.” Freya explains, and you can tell she is feeling better.

You arrive at the K’Zal house and Lili is there, with Xan in their room playing the same game. 

Lili gives Freya a kiss, and you can tell Freya has mostly recovered.

“Makoto, Michal, I want to take you 2 shopping for things like clothing and the such tomorrow. I have a day off tomorrow.” Lili says. You and Michal agree.

You all receive a text from Zail and he says he and Kinney have begun the check-ins with the payroll Exorcists and will be busy, and send their love.

With that out of the way, you, Michal, Liil and Freya take a seat around the table and eat a good dinner.

You go to your rooms, and when you find yourself in bed, you dream of an Aria, From Everywhere and Nowhere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to say that you get benefits for advancing S-links, like the confidant system, but that would be weird imo and I could not think of a benefit.


	16. Fusion Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You learn how to fuse Persona.

You dream, and here the Aria of Souls from Everywhere and Nowhere.

You once more see the Observatory, your Velvet Room. You see the wonderfully nude Asari Goddess Odiya across from you on a couch, lounging. You see the Turian and Salarian playing the Aria. You see the Nameless staring at the Citadel. No Igor, but you figure he has returned to Earth.

“Peace Be Upon You, Child” Odiya says in a voice that brings calm to your weary soul.

You ask Odiya where Elizabeth has gone.

“She is my Agent now. She protects the neophyte Wildcards on my behalf, and you will see her at her leisure” Odyia explains. You are glad to know Elizabeth and Odiya have worked out a system.

You ask why you have been summoned.

“I assign you your first task and teach you the ways of Persona Fusion” Odiya says.

You ask for the task and Odyia nods, waving her hand and summoning an assortment of what you figure are minor spirits. They look like Imp, Goblin, and other “bother beings” (if that makes sense) from across the minds of Citadel space.

“Slay these things, and their power will be yours” Odiya tasks you before she and her couch vanish and reappear in the back of the Observatory next to the Salarian and Turian.

You find yourself standing up with your weapons, Goemon and Jigen, in hand. You can feel the presence of your Evoker. The minor spirits come upon you, a dozen “bother beasts”. 

You summon Persona and combine your Fire blasts (which you instinctively call Agi) with shots from your pistol. It deals with most of the rabble, but a few come upon you.

You feel Enterprise fading, and channel your Evoker again, using Persona to bludgeon the offending beasts while smacking, slashing, and kicking out to keep the beasts off you.

When all that remain are 2 bother beasts, an 8-armed Pyjak and a Goblin, Odiya calls them and you off.

“Well Done Child” she teleports to you and summons a large machine, which is 2 large glass tubes which contain the Goblin and Pyjak that connect to am empty 3rd glass tube with a bunch of plastic tubes, wires and computer components.

Odiya snaps her fingers, and the Goblin and Pyjack “digitize”, deforming into a cloud of binary and combine into a single being. The being is that of a minor Asari spirit you have seen in games, a “Zug’Li”, which resembles a blue Skink mixed with a Lemur. The Zug’Li turns into a cloud of binary data and rushes at you and you feel the spirit’s power has been added to yours.

“This is how fusion is preformed for you. I will eventually assign you more difficult tasks, but these tasks will come with rewards” Odiya says. She extends her hand for a handshake.

You find your weapons are not in your hands anymore, but you do not care, and you give the expected handshake. You feel her warmth and desire to protect you.

PING!

_“Thou Art I and I am Thou”  
“Thou Hast Formed A New Bond”_

_“These Are The Bonds That Shall Change The Galaxy”_

_“You Have Awakened The Power of the Temperance Arcana” _

“I and Elizabeth will send spirits to you in your dreams. These can be fought with at your leisure and added to yourself.” Odyia explained. “You can call me in dreams to preform Fusion, to create more powerful Persona.”

You say you understand.

“Good. Now wake up child. It is time for shopping” Odiya says as she snaps her fingers.

You wake up. You shift your mind around and realize you could summon the Zug’Li now. You shift back to Enterprise, to make sure you do not out yourself as the Wildcard accidentally.

You do your exercises and have a shower. You also check the firing history of Jigen and learn the one you used in the Velvet room was just an Illusion.

You grab a protein shake and head out for breakfast after reporting your dreams in your journal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why did I make Odiya eternally nude? idk, felt right.


	17. Women be Shopping and Hiding Psychological Scars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In Which Michal Regrets Asking A Woman Her Age.
> 
> As He Should.

Lili greets you as you leave your room. You greet her and Michal who is busy eating and check your non-priority messages.

Freya is doing paperwork for the Citadel Exorcist Division at her office, like Zail and Kinney who are also still busy. Xan is playing their game for most of the day still.

You sit down across from Lili after grabbing a sandwich.

Lili asks you “So do you want to shop today” Lili asks, playing a game on her Omni-tool. You and Michal agree, and after cleaning up, head out.

Lili summons her sky-car, with hers being more of an Asari design to Xan’s. The closest you could think of was a late 20th century Minivan, but with an Asari filter and given flight.

Lili invites you in and you find the car is the comfiest car you have ever been in, and you can tell Michal has similar thoughts. You and Michal strap in. Lili takes the driver’s seat, saying she prefers to drive herself rather then let an VI drive normally.

She drives you to The Metro-Station. She mentions that you have all day to shop.

Your first stop is a multi-cultural clothing store. Lili tells you she will cover cost of clothing. You and Michal break up with her and wander about the store. You grab a good amount of some basic stuff like spare shirts and underwear. A few thousand credits (50 bucks) worth.

You return to the point where Lili said to meet her, and she nods understanding your decisions.

Michal returns soon after and is carrying a large amount of stuff (about 200 bucks worth). Most of it is shirts that are licenced merch for shows/games he likes, along with shirts with “funny” messages on them. Most of them are frankly ugly you find but don’t mention, and you see that Lili silently agrees. He also grabbed some spare cargo shorts, underwear, and socks. Lili pays for your choices despite disagreeing with Michal’s and has drones send them home.

You head off to the food court to grab some food. Michal once more grabbing several platters of food, you grabbing a burger with fries and cola, while to your surprise Lili grabs some food you can only describe as non-traditional for an Asari, large fried hunk of Varen with some Krogan-cultural noodles and a large Batarian beer, with her saying it is her “cheat day”.

You ask where she and Zail got their food taste from.

“Me and Zail were born on Omega station. I grew up there, though Zail only spent a decade or so there. Zail, his father and I moved from there to here when Zail was 13.” Lili says taking a rather undignified bite out of the Varen, ripping it to shreds with hands and teeth.

“Omega? I heard of there, said to be “A Wretched Hive” as the classic texts say” Michal pops up after gorging himself on half his food, and Lili looks a bit uncomfortable.

“Oh, it is not that bad, at least not anymore” Lili says. “I return there occasionally to check on old friends and Aria is doing some good work there”

“You know Lili, something has bothered me. You look kind of young, like a Maiden still. Zail said he is 236, and Xan 120. How old are you?” Michal says, but then he looks like he regretted the question. “I mean, you can ignore the question if you want, “never ask a lady her age” am I right” Michal is back tracking, and Lili looks a combination of shocked and depressed at the question.

Lili types into her Omni-tool and verbally tells you and Michal not to continue the topic in public.

You and Michal receive a text from her. It says “323”, which shocks Michal, who begins a series of conversation starters trying to distract himself, you, and Lili. It looks like it works, and Lili looks like she is enjoying the conversation she and him have.

You return to Lili’s car, this time she sits in the passenger’s seats with you and Michal and she tells the VI to take you home. She looks stern in a way only a mother can, a look that seems to be a cross-species consistent.

“Do not tell Zail or Xan or Freya that you asked me of my past, or that I responded. I do not know how they will react. Yes Michal, I had Zail before I was even a full adult, hells I was still a kid all things considered. Zail’s father was a former Batarian slave soldier named Rorik. We loved each other, I still love him, and with our love we escaped from that “wretched hive”, that **_Hell_**, and moved to the Citadel. Ishtar took pity on me and I worked at the Little Death for decades, supporting a child and a broken warrior until Rorik died. Zail and Xan may be the breadwinners now, but I am no simple woman. I………” Lili ends her rant after seeing how shocked you and Michal are and how loud she was.

She straightens herself out. “Again, please do not tell Zail, Xan or Freya about this conversation. I would not want them to worry about me” She says in the voice of internalized pain and with a smile of hiding scars.

Michal agrees and plays on his Omni-tool as if nothing happened, but you reach out to her hand and say that if she needs help you are there.

She puts other her hand on yours. “Thank you, but really, I am fine” she lies, but you get the sentiment and do not push the issue for now.

PING!

_“Thou Art I and I am Thou”  
“Thou Hast Formed A New Bond”_

_“These Are The Bonds That Shall Change The Galaxy”_

_“You Have Awakened The Power of the Strength Arcana” _

You arrive home and see Freya cooking dinner. Freya says she wanted to surprise Lili with dinner of Lili’s favorite foods, which Lili is delighted to and gives a big kiss to her girlfriend, much to their mutual joy. You and Michal try to act natural which works as far as you and Michal can tell.

You receive a text from Kinney which says she and Zail should be done by tomorrow, and Xan comes out of their room saying they have had enough gaming and would like some of the food Freya prepared.

Your new family has a lovely dinner. You pray internally that you will not need to play therapist to all of them. You wonder if Odiya accepts prayers?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boy howdy Lili. 
> 
> So much pain.


	18. University Awaits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You Learn That Michal is a Better Friend Then You Initially Thought.

You wake up from a night of venting your frustrations on “bother beasts” and getting Odiya to fuse them into Persona for you to use. You get 2 more Persona out of this, a Drell mythology imp figure called a “Gog’Zuk” and a Turian healer spirit called a “Kor’Kor’Zo”. You were grateful about getting a healer Persona.

You also learn that neither Odiya nor Elizabeth accept prayers, Odiya explains, nor do any of the Velvet Room Masters or other Attendants. You figured that.

Odiya also mentioned that playing therapist to friends is a normal part of the Wildcard journey. You note to pick some “help your friend with psychological scars” E-books for your Omni-tool since you are stuck doing this.

You leave your room post-exercise/shower to find Michal reading a medical article and eating leftovers.

You grab some grub after greeting Michal and check your non-priority messages. Lili is visiting friends and volunteering today before work, Freya is doing an Elcor cultural center day, Xan is doing archive work and Zail/Kinney are going to be finishing their bureaucratic work today.

You have a question you want to ask Michal, but you want to get him a good mood first. You ask him if he wants to hang out.

“Sure, not much else to do today. Want to explore the Citadel U campus?” Michal offers, and you realize you have been meaning to do that for a while.

You and Michal clean up and make sure you do not have your weapons on your persons. You store your weapons in your safes, except your Evokers which you remember you can keep on yourselves, and head off to Citadel U campus via cab. 

Citadel U is a massive campus located in another ward. A massively tall circle of 7 towers bound together via sky-bridges. The buildings you remember are some the largest on the Citadel, and some the largest in Citadel Space. You and Michal are in awe of the size of them. Sky-bikes and other means of transport zoom about within campus, transporting staff, student, and materials. No outside vehicle is allowed in though.

Your cab takes you to one of the main entrances. Security is tight at CU, and the only ways in for both student and faculty is through heavily monitored and guarded entrances/exits. This is to ensure no one tries to rob the place, and no tries to get a gun in to shoot the place up.

Your permissions to enter as soon-to-be students are approved and a security droid lets in and you and Michal are scanned as you enter. A “bing” sounds as the scanners notice your Evokers, but another “bing” sounds as it detects your licenses for them.

You and Michal have downloaded the maps to CU and are even more mind boggled at the sheer size of the campus up-close.

You decide to take it easy and explore where your classes are going to be. You go to the “School of Medicine” tower first, Michal’s future class rooms. Michal plans an intense series of classes so he can master Xeno-biology and earn his medical license in one year. He already has most of the credentials and credits he needs, with this going to be his final year at school before moving on to practicing as a medical apprentice, and you further learn that he plans on becoming a local doctor on the Citadel.You and Michal wander about the medical wing and are marveled the technology present. Tech your nerd minds did not even know existed was found common place. Michal begins nerding out about the various tools and information presence, and while you do not know a third of what he is saying, you are glad he is enjoying himself.

You take sky-bike to the “School of Discourse” tower after Michal burns himself out after geeking out so much. You 2 spend less time here since you are not in the mood to debate today, but are marveled the people present and the ideas being spoken. You plan on learning Citadel Sociology and other diplomatic lessons to better yourself and become a diplomat, though you don’t have an exact timetable. You planned a lighter lesson load then Michal because you planned on getting a side job to better cover expenses. Not much use now since the K’Zal family insists on paying everything for you, you realize. You decide to think of a way to spend your future free time.

You and Michal start to get hungry, and sky-bike to the cafeteria in the building in the center of the towers. You feel the mood is right while you and Michal eat burgers, so you pop the question.

“Michal, do you have any psychological issues that will cause you to rely on me as a Therapist?” You ask Michal as he stuffs his face with a second large burger.

He nearly chokes on the burger, and after righting himself, he looks at you shocked but begins to understand why you asked the question.

“To be honest Makoto, I am on medication for anxiety and other neurodivergent traits, and I am looking for a proper therapist here on the Citadel. I do, however, have a good sense not to rely on friends for therapy. So no, I will not force my mental traumas on you.” Michal says, putting his right hand on yours.

You thank him and apologize for the awkward question.

Michal texts you with his Omni-tool, to ensure he is not overhead “Don’t worry Comrade Makoto, I get why you asked. My wildcard ancestor wrote in her journal that she was burdened by the issues of her comrades, her bonds, sometimes and that it caused her stress. My mental issues are for me and my therapist. I will not add my mental burdens to yours when you have so much already and probably will have so much more soon.”

You ask what he means, but accidentally say it verbally instead of texting back.

“You know like classes, and finding a romantic partner, hehe” Michal says covering for you

You feel your bond with Michal grow.

PING!

_Your Bond With The Magician Arcana Has Grown._ **Level 2. **

You and Michal head off to leave. He offers to spend the rest of the day playing games with you on the big TV at the K’Zal house. You agree.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was initially going to make Michal a bit angstier, but then I realized I was putting to much burden on Makoto. 
> 
> So yeah, Michal sees a damn therapist already.


	19. Nerds about Guns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You talk guns with Xan.

After the day with Michal, you feel better, and that night, you dream your normal dreams.

You awaken, do your exercises, shower, change and check your messages chugging a protein shake.

Michal is doing a day on his own of exploring the neighborhood and later Huerta Memorial Hospital to see if he can find a therapist. Zail and Kinney are having a day together on a nearby garden world (they sent a lovely selfie of them together on a nude beach) and say they will be back for dinner. Lili and Freya are having a day together at the planet where Rorik is buried, visiting his grave, and will also be back for dinner as well. Xan is…

You see Xan sitting in what looks like a more armored version of a Quarian Envirosuit, sans helmet, in front of the main entrance. They are staring intently at their Omni-tool and when you ask what they are doing, they hiss at you telepathically saying a single word.

“PACKAGE!!!”

You leave them be, rightfully prioritizing food over Xan’s package waiting. You watch some anime on your Omni-tool while you eat, and you hear the door alert ring.

Xan bounces up and opens the door. An armored turian C-Sec officer accompanied by an armored delivery drone stands at the door. The guard, initially calm, looks around fearfully and you know why. Xan is so excited their thoughts are leaking through via Persona telepathy, but Xan notices this and tries to calm the officer down via sign so they can get package. It works, and the officer has Xan sign for the package. Xan does and then tips the officer 26x the normal rate. The guard looks happy despite the weirdness of the minute and goes away content.

Xan holds their new large package gleefully. They spin and flap and telepathically sing in joy.

You ask what the package is as you finish your meal, and Xan says it is their new gun via telepathy.

Xan says telepathically 2 years ago they helped back a group-funding project for a new line of Asari Submachine Guns. They even contributed to the designs, with this combined with the backing amount they did, and their military gun license allowed them to receive a copy of the gun early.

Xan opens the package like a person possessed. The design is a large SMG. Small enough you figure most could hold/fire it one handed easily, but larger than most SMGs, to the point it could almost be an Assault Rifle. Asari in design, but some human inspirations. An analog you figure would be the P90 you have seen in 20th/21st century set games/dramas.

Xan calls it a Purifier excitedly. Light enough to be carried one-handed but has the armor penetration ability to rival most assault rifles with a good amount of shots and accuracy, more shots then their current Locust. They say the only thing keeping it from being mainstream is the fact it is way more expensive the similar models. Xan says they funded it because they prefer SMGs to Assault Rifles because they prefer guns that can be fired with one hand so they can keep another free for biotics, tech weapons and melee.

Xan pulls out components, tools and their old Locust SMG and starts taking both their old gun and new gun apart. They wordlessly install upgrade components from the Locust into the Purifier, such as the improved high-caliber barrel, Marksman interface and improved coolant system, and adds new components such as an improved scope and a fresh block of Biotic Ammo into the Purifier.

After they are done upgrading, they sign that they want to go to the shooting range to test out the abilities of the gun. You agree and grab your guns. You leave the Hikaru, believing it to be overkill. You have been meaning to see if your upgrades to Conviction worked.

You take Xan’s sky-car and fly off to the shooting range. During the trip Xan puts on a helmet, though it is more of an Asari design then the iconic Quarian helmet.

You enter the shooting range with Xan and Xan zooms off to the shooting area while you grab ear protection.

When you arrive to the shooting area Xan is having fun with their Purifier. They shoot better than you can, and you notice the targets are mostly suffering from head-shots and other critical hits. The gun is accurate, has a good rate of fire, and you guess good damage, just like Xan said.

You think loudly, asking Xan if the gun was up to their expectations. Xan stops shooting and signs that yes, the gun does live up to their expectations. You nod and take out Conviction.

You fire off a shot and detonate a holo-target, but when you try to take a second, the gun fails you and goes into overheat mode. Xan taps your shoulder and asks if they can look at Conviction. You agree and they guide you to the upgrade tables in the adjacent room.

They scan conviction with Omni-tool. They ask if they can take some of Conviction apart and you agree. They take out tools and examine the insides after a quick disassembly. They type something in their Omni-tool and soon the range manager comes in and hands Xan some components. Xan signs thanks to her and installs the components into Conviction and then reassembles Conviction.

They sign that they are impressed with your upgrades to a drunkenly assembled piece of junk and say the upgrade they installed were a modified version of the Marksman interface along with an upgrade to the cooling system. It will allow you to fire off 2 shots with an improved power by using your armor to add power to the coolant system and barrel via the Marksman interface. You will only be able to fire off one shot outside using the Marksman power, but they sign that you should be able to do so more frequently given the upgrade they made to the cooling system.

They sign that since you lack armor for now, they will show you with theirs. You return to the shooting area and Xan summons 2 large targets and aims conviction, activating the Marksman interface. They fire off one shot which results in a bigger boom then you have seen, and then fires off another. You can tell their suit is adding power to the gun and using the suit to vent excess heat from the gun via the Marksman interface. 

You say you are impressed, and you can tell Xan is smiling under the helmet. You exit the shop with them and return to the K’Zal house. You store your weapons in your safe. You ask what Xan plans to do with their old Locust, and they sign that they will donate it to the collective gun pool the Exorcists use.

You prep lunch for yourself and Xan while they do some more upgrades to the Purifier. When they come out you pop a question you feel might be a recurring theme of your life on the Citadel

“Xan, do you need me to be a therapist for you?” you ask.

Xan signs that no, they already see a good therapist. They simply wish to be friends. Xan signs they have been trying to get their mother, Zail and Freya to get help but it has been slow progress. They understand your concern with the other members of the K'Zal family. 

You nod and you and Xan have a quite lunch, after which they spend 3 hours kicking your ass in fighting games before everyone else gets home.

PING!

_Your Bond With Fortune Arcana Has Grown._ **Level 2. **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://pious-smasher.tumblr.com/post/617290388534951936/one-shift-i-am-doing-with-persona-effect-regarding
> 
> I am changing how "gun abilities" like Marksman and Turbocharge work in Persona Effect. See tumblr post for details, but long story short I am bringing it back to ME1 where they are tied to guns themselves rather then being part of the "power pool" of abilities you get as part of your class abilities. Ammo will also work like ME1 where it is an upgrade applied to the gun as apart of the gun upgrades. 
> 
> Xan's new gun is basically a P90. It is a heavier by comparison then most ME SMGs, more expensive as well, but I felt it a right weapon for Xan to use.


	20. Wear Your Damn Helmet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your armor arrives.

After having a dinner with your new family, and talking with Xan before that, you felt better about your situation. You have a video chat with your parents to check in with them. They are doing well, and they want to see you in your armor when it is done. You do some reading on “Helping Others” books.

You dream your normal dreams and sleep for a good amount.

You wake up late, a habit you should avoid with school starting you think, and do your exercises, shower, and change.

You check your messages as you leave the room. Kinney is doing a day at the Drell/Hanar cultural center. Michal is interviewing available therapists to find one he likes and is not sure when he is will be done. Xan is doing archive work. Lili and Freya have gone to an Elcor colony for a day trip to visit Freya’s brother. That leaves………

Zail sits in his casual outfit in front of the armored front door. He is on a recliner and watching Turian animation. You ask him if waiting enthusiastically for packages is a family trait. He responds saying that when it is a package this important it is.

You leave him be and grab breakfast. The doorbell rings and Zail opens the door remotely with Omni-tool.

2 armed and armored Volus, both with armor branded with the symbol of the Exorcists, escort 2 large delivery drones. Zail is delighted at their presence and talks with them about the business of Exorcists, which you half pay attention to as you watch your shows and eat.

Zail brings the delivery drones inside and says farewell to the Volus Exorcists. He then summons the maid droids and a table drone. The maid droids carry components you recognize as gun upgrades, as well as tools for guns and armor. “Your armor has arrived, along with Michal’s” Zail says excitedly.

You get excited as well and clean yourself up. You begin to strip down to undergarments so you can put on the armor. Zail stops you before you begin properly.

“We have to do upgrades first. Xan and Freya’s scans of you gives us a good idea for upgrades, but it is best we custom your armor first” Zail explains. You agree

You put your shirt back on and help Zail take your armor out of the container. You leaned more for medium armor, designed for stealth. You quickly go to your safe and grab the Stealth Cloak, Flamethrower, and “Fortification” Over-Armor you bought earlier. When you return, you find Zail has summoned a container from his room that contains his own armor. He says since you are going through all the effort of putting on armor, he might as well be armored as well.

You take the tools from the maid droids and Zail helps you install the upgrades. He then has you install the Marksman interface into Jigen, your pistol.

You and Zail strip to your undergarments and have the maid droids help you put on the armor. You notice as you see Zail stripped down up close that he has the word “Exorcist” tattooed on his body in various languages, across his body. You also notice how fucking muscular he truly is and blush, hoping he did not notice you staring.

Zail explains and you feel that Exorcist armor was meant for comfort as well as protection. Maintaining a good mental state is important for Persona users. You notice that Zail’s armor is reminiscent of Batarian pirates you have seen in media, and heavier than the armor you usually see Asari wear. You realize why, and do not mention it. He says that while in combat, never take off your helmet if you can avoid it.

Zail checks his Omni-tool and looks disappointed. “Our usual firing range is hosting a local business's birthday party and will not have room for us to go all out today.”

You say you do not mind, and you realize you have a question you want to ask him privately.

You say you want to ask him some things and responds. “What do you want to ask?” he says.

You want to say that you want him to see a therapist instead of burdening you, but you trip up. You instead ask him if he wants to be in a Selfie with you, the armored one your parents requested.

“Oh Sure!” he says excitedly, and he removes his helmet. He gets in close to you, face against yours and you use your Omni-tool to take a selfie of you 2 together. You send it to your parents, who are at work.

He then asks you what else you want. You think you should ask him about therapy but get nervous. You instead if he would be down for inviting you to the bedroom with Kinney. You are baffled at yourself, thinking that somehow asking a friend for sex is somehow easier then asking for him to see a therapist.

“Oh Makoto, I like you. Kinney is the one in charge of deciding our thirds, fourths, fifths and etcetera, you must ask her, though I approve.” Zail says smiling, then kisses your left cheek.

You and Zail decide to do a modeling shoot in your armor. You do this for about 10 minutes together taking photos of each other, before getting bored and playing video games.

You feel your bond with Zail grow closer.

PING!

_Your Bond With Emperor Arcana Has Grown._ **Level 2. **

While you play games with Zail, Michal arrives home saying he found a therapist and you/Zail help Michal out with his armor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will I write the Makoto/Zail/Kinney three-way? Probably not in this fic, but I might write it as a separate fic later.


	21. Gym and Food with the Priestess.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kinney has a day out with you. What shall you learn?

After finishing Michal’s armor and doing some photos of him in it, you all strip out of armor and put it the cases and have dinner. Xan arrives, along with Kinney, and they join you. Lili and Freya are staying overnight at the Elcor colony and will be back tomorrow at around lunch.

You head off to bed after watching a short movie with Zail and Michal, an old trashy, low budget, Asari SiFi movie from before their attaining of space flight called “Azure Skies”. You learn that boy howdy the Asari have always wanted to fuck aliens, probably more so then humanity did/does. They also assumed tits would be a more consistent thing on aliens, which you guess is something Asari and humanity share. Zail mostly riffed on it, to which Michal joined in on. You were fascinated from a cultural standard more then you admitted.

You request of Odiya to let you face more difficult beasts in your dreams this time, envisioning yourself with Conviction and Hikaru along with your armor. She agrees and summons some Orc equivalents from across the minds of Citadel space.

You slay them and add their power to your own. You then examine what you could get if you fused your current Persona repertoire. You discover a more powerful healer Persona, a Salarian Angelic figure named “Lizzil”, but it requires you to sacrifice Enterprise. Odiya tells you that you can pay to return Persona that you already acquired for a small monetary fee. You agree and fuse your Persona to acquire the Lizzil, and then pay to get Enterprise back. You also fuse your other Persona into a powerful melee beast, a Krogan combat spirit named “Tor’Wrex”. This leaves you with three Persona, a good number you figure for now. Enterprise as an allrounder and buff provider, the Lizzil if you or others need healing, and the Tor’Wrex if something really needs a krumping.

You awaken early and follow your routine of Exercise, Shower and Protein Shake. You check your messages.

Michal is doing a therapy session today and working out a schedule with the therapist so they can reliably see each other. Zail is resolving something with the Council, though he says not to be concerned. Freya and Lili are still at the Elcor colony but will be back soon. Xan is doing a day of gaming. Which leaves Kinney.

She is not in the kitchen, but they have not posted their day plan, so you figure she must be asleep still. You grab breakfast and watch some Salarian dramas.

Kinney comes out of her room 30 minutes later, nude and groggy, and you see she is tattooed as her husband, though hers are based on what you guess classical Drell art. She does not seem to see you, and she goes to a cabinet in the kitchen and grabs a pill container. She grabs today’s med dose and takes 2 pills. She also grabs another bottle, this one a common brand of anti-hangover meds and takes one with a handful of water she pours from the sink.

She seems to perk up after taking meds and turns around and sees you. “Sup” she says.

You say you are just enjoying the view, to which she smiles, spins around to give you the full treatment, and heads off to the fridge and grabs some food and a common brand of sports-drink. You both are smiling.

You sit and chat with her. They apparently got a bit too drunk last night, tried some of Michal’s Vodka out of curiosity. The other meds you saw her take were an anti-anxiety med and an HRT pill.

“You’re trans?” you say.

She looked shocked at the question. “Was it not obvious…….?” But then she realizes you have never seen a nude Drell of any gender before. “Yah, I started when I was young” She says content that she is accepted.

“Good for you” you say.

“I thought you would be more worried about the Anxiety med given you are worrying about the mental state of the Exorcists” Kinney says. “Don’t worry, I am seeing a therapist already.”

“Good for you” you say. Kinney seemed stable when you met her, so she initially slipped your mind of “worry about this S-link’s mental state”.

“Wanna go to the gym? I know a really good one that gives discount to government agents like us” Kinney asks, finishing her bug bowl.

You agree. Kinney and you both go to your rooms and to grab gym clothes, and she summons a cab. You both leave gun and blade behind, but bring a change of clothes each.

You head off to another ward, and find yourself near a C-Sec complex, to which a large gymnasium resides, called The Rising Hammer.

Kinney gets you and her in and begin working out. The Cliental was mostly Turian, given they make up most of the nearby C-Sec.

Kinney does some physical lifting of weights and trains her Biotic ability. She claims she outdoes Zail and Xan in terms of biotic mastery, a talent that led to her recruitment by the Hanar government as an Assassin. She also does some running on a treadmill.

You do some weightlifting, focusing on endurance over heavy lifting. You explain that your parents gave you good muscle training, thinking you would be a solider. You kept it up even though you initially did not plan on fighting. You also hop on a treadmill and do a good run.

After a good amount of exercise, you both get hungry. You do a hot shower to get the sweat off, which Kinney does not do since Drell do not sweat and steam is dangerous for them. 

You find her waiting outside the complex in her usual outfit, the iconic Drell long-coat, and she offers to take you to her favorite restaurant, a place where you can talk privately about things.

You agree and you 2 cab over to “The Solar Edge”, the only Drell dedicated restaurant on the Citadel, near the Hanar/Drell cultural center. It has private booths that allow customers to talk privately without being overheard.

You order at Kinney’s recommendation a large bowl of spiced fish, vegetables, and her favored grain, while Kinney has a large bowl of bugs and grains. You both order protein shakes.

You begin to speak up but Kinney interrupts you.

“Wildcard, I know want to worry about the K’Zal’s mental health, you are concerned, I get it, apparently doing so is part of your duty as a Wildcard. I have been trying to get mom, Zail and even Freya to get mental help for years but they are stubborn. Makes sense given Zail and mom’s trauma regarding therapists, and Elcor tend to be stubborn on these issues culturally. I will accept your help regarding them, but please don’t overstep your boundaries.” Kinney vents at you much to your shock.

You pipe up, saying that you have accepted that the K’Zal family needs help, but you plan on gradually helping them at their own pace. You thank Kinney for the advice, but the K’Zal mental health was not what you were going to ask about.

“Oh…. What was it?” Kinney asks, looking a tad embarrassed.

You tell her that Zail told you that you should go through her if you wanted the threesome.

“Ah… Sure! We will need to schedule it in……” She shifts around even more embarrassed.

Your food arrives and you eat in silence for a bit before you pop another question.

“You call Lili mom? That is adorable” You say, genuine.

“Well I was raised by 2 dads and my Hanar handler, so I did not have a key maternal figure growing up, and she is certainly maternal” Kinney explains. “Honestly, she is an amazing mom as long as you don’t try and pry into her past. I guess you have tried to do that?” she asks

You feel guilty about disobeying Lili, but you admit Michal said something that triggered Lili, which caused Lili to infodump a bit of her past. Since you are going all in, you ask about Rorik.

“Oh Rorik… I only really know what Zail told me about him. Zail idolizes Rorik, his father, but I am not sure if he was that amazing given what Lili has *ah-hem* “leaked” and he does not have much of a record on the Citadel data bases.” Kinney explains. “He seemed like a cool dad, but he died more then 2 centuries ago” Kinney says.

You both finish your food and shake. You have a lot to consider. You thank Kinney for the day about.

“Thank you for letting me vent, Wildcard. I look forward to having you in the bedroom.” Kinney says, putting her hand on yours.

PING!

_Your Bond With Priestess Arcana Has Grown._ **Level 2.**

Kinney pays for the meal and summons a cab so you can return home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I establish Kinney as trans before this? I think I did on tumblr.


	22. Dance Dance Revolution.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lili invites you to Dance and to "Dance".

You return to the K’Zal house to find Michal getting his ass kicked in a fighting game by Xan, with Lili cooking dinner, a large fish native to a salarian colony with some batarian root vegtables.

Lili says that Freya and Zail are finishing some Council business and will be home before their sleep-time.

You and Kinney join Michal and Xan and switch to a CO-OP shooter via split screen.

You 4 eat dinner on the couch, stuck in an intense match. Zail and Freya come in before sleep time tired but satisfied, saying they both managed to argue with the Council regarding a pay dispute that is none of our concern, and Lili greets them both with a kiss.

Kinney confirms with Zail you are invited to the bedroom, but not tonight since he is tired already. They will negotiate tomorrow afternoon when a good time will be with you. Michal high-fives you, Xan signs “why do you talk about sex in public” while exaggerating a look of queasiness, while Freya and Lili roll their eyes at the activity of Youth despite being middle aged at best.

You all head to bed after wrapping up the game. You dream your normal dreams.

You get up and do your usual routine. You chug a protein shake and check your messages.

Freya is checking on a potential Shadow incident in another ward. Kinney and Zail are doing a morning at the Hanar/Drell cultural center and having a lunch date. Michal is doing a gym morning and will be back in the afternoon. Xan is doing archival work, this time for a human video game archive. Leaving….

Lili preps a curry and an asari rice analogue as you enter the kitchen. She greets you as you sit down and serves you some of her food, saying she wants a second opinion. You try it and wow is it good. Spicy, sweet, and very meaty for the curry, and the grain is good as well. You ask what the recipe is, and she says it is a combination of recipes she learn growing up.

You resist the urge to say something along the lines of “Your past on Omega”, and instead compliment her cooking again.

“I do meal prep for myself and my family. Given our hectic schedules, it is nice to have some reliable good food ready. I have work today, want to come with me?” Lili offers.

You have nothing better to do today, and it might give you more insight into Lili’s mind, so you agree.

Lili checks her time and realizes she is running a bit late, so she has the Maid Droids clean up. She grabs a large duffel bag stashed near the front door and summons her car. You quickly grab your bag, leaving your weapons (except Evoker) behind.

Lili drives quickly (perhaps too quickly) and silently to the dance studio.

The car arrives at the studio located in the Ward, and as she exits the car she begins to strip down on her way to an office. She invites you in, and you enter not thinking. She is nude by the time you arrive, and you wonder if you should avert your gaze from Lili. Lili does not seem to care, so you look a bit while changing yourself out of instinct.

You can see where Zail and Xan get their body shape from. Lili has the body of a dancer though, tight, compared to the deliberate body building bulk of Zail, with Xan being in-between their mother and brother’s bulk. You see she has some tattoos, namely 2 above her heart in Asari script you recognize as Rorik and Tanith from what little Asari script you know, the fathers of Zail and Xan respectively. She is scared as well, though most have long since healed. She also has a good amount of fat in all the places that you really should not be staring at, you chastise yourself.

Lili puts on the iconic Asari club dancer outfit and offers one to you, which also put on as to not be rude. When you finish putting it on, you both stop and stare.

“Are you uncomfortable in that? It is not normal for humans to wear… especially of your…” Lili says awkwardly.

You say you are genderfluid and open to new presentations.

“Oh… good… So are you going to dance or?”

You say since you here you might as well.

Lili awkwardly agrees and heads into the studio, saying since these are new girls, you can learn along with them.

The class is filled with women, mostly maiden Asari with a couple human adults as well, either in gym clothes or the club dancer outfit. You find a spot in the back. You ignore the couple people staring at you. Your bulky muscular frame makes you stand out among a group of dancers, though you do not care.

Lilii begins instructing, using a megaphone from the duffle bag to instruct the class while blaring Asari club music plays. You keep up well enough, moving to the beats and having fun. The class is meant to simulate club conditions, with the music loud and sweat dripping.

After 2 hours of lessons, most of the class is exhausted, but you still have some energy left in you courtesy of your endurance training.

Lili tells the class to hit the showers and she grabs you and takes you to the office.

“Do you have previous dancing training?” Lili says as she strips out of the club dancer outfit.

You say you tried ballet and other dances when you were younger, though say you just copied the girls around you today. Your parents taught you the importance of endurance training though. You also strip out of the dance outfit.

You both head to a private shower and cool off. You notice her staring at you.

“I admit today did not go exactly as I planned. I really took you out today because everyone else has” Lili says. “Can I feel your muscles?” she says out of the blue.

You say sure if you can feel hers, pointing at her right arm.

You both take a squeeze out of each other’s right bicep.

“Damn, if Zail did not already call dibs I would invite you into my bedroom” Lili says.

You thank her for the compliment, though point out what Freya would think.

“Elcor have polyamory as a norm in their culture. She would be down; I have invited guest in before.” Lili explains

You consider it and say you might be in depending on how your night with Kinney and Zail goes, though you say you should not mention this conversation with the rest.

“Good point” Lili says, “Last time me and Zail tried to pursue the same person, it ended badly. Best not remind him of the "Anna Incident"” she says grimacing doing the finger quote thing on the last words. You remind yourself to check if it is a purely human invention, the finger quote, or if aliens had their own version.

You suppress a shudder; you are entering territory of “To Much Information”. You think of a topic to change to as you turn off the shower to leave. You ask about the tattoos on her heart, the names, but regret it as you say it.

“These? Fathers of my children. Breasts are sacred to Asari, fat reserves that fuel are biotic power and mammary glands that feed our children, plus they look lovely. I wear the names of those I love on these sacred places.” Lili explains as you 2 exit the shower. “They are on my boob, not my heart. Asari don’t view the heart as a sacred place, a location of soul, like most other societies. Our brains fill that role.”

You internally breath a sigh of relief that that did not trigger anything, and you learned something new. Double Win! You both change into your casual clothes. You into track pants and a polo shirt, Lili into a graphic tee shirt saying, “Proud Mom” in the trans pride colors, along with a pair of “mom jeans”. You put on your shoes, you a pair of runners over socks, while Lili puts on sandals.

“This was a good day” Lili says extending a hand for shaking.

You internally think this day have gone a lot worse, but you think you made progress with Lili, and you scored a club dancer outfit. You give the desired handshake, feeling your bond with Lili grow.

PING!

_Your Bond With Strength Arcana Has Grown._ **Level 2.**

You both return to the K’Zal house and have quite lunch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tbh I had no idea what to do with Lili initially for this part, but then I remembered she was a dance instructor and went with that.


	23. Elizabeth is (Not) OK

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elizabeth has a Mission! Will You Help?

You check the time as you enter the K’Zal house. Bit past your usual lunch hour. You grab a protein shake along with some meat, vegetables, bread, and cheese for a sandwich. Lili says she is going to have a post-work nap and eat food from the fridge in her room. You wish her a good nap. You also decide to have a quick nap.

You fall asleep after the intense dance work-out quickly after your sandwich and shake. You collapse in bed and hear an Aria from Everywhere and Nowhere. You “wake up” in Elizabeth’s apartment, with Elizabeth standing across from you with you on her couch.

She is looking a little rough, clothing damaged in some areas and a tired look in her eyes. What ever divine power she has, you think it is not divine enough. She perks up when you materialize. You ask how she has been, and what she has been doing.

“Why my dear, I have been protecting the neophyte Wildcards across the Galaxy from those that threaten them. Apparently, there are people that disagree with this duty, but I have been dealing with them.” She says with voice that is both genuinely happy but has a bit of a forced joy about it.

You ask about how many Wildcards she has saved and where she gets the info on them. You are fascinated by the prospect of getting potential help from new Wildcards.

“2 neophyte Wildcards so far, both of whom a few years off from starting their journeys. A Turian child I rescued from Batarian slavery, and a Krogan baby taken from Tuchanka. Odiya, as Mistress of the Citadel, has an awareness of all potential Wildcards in Citadel space.” Elizabeth explains “I set the both up on an Asari colony where they can complete their childhoods and later journeys as it should be, at Odiya’s instruction”

Children and babes. Should not pressure them into joining the Exorcists you realize. You ask how the life has been treating her otherwise.

“Galactic life is fascinating” Elizabeth says genuinely “I have eaten so much wonderful food, and the new Persona and Shadows I have learned about are fascinating.”

Food and Story. The Foundations of Civilization. You relate to this. You notice a cut on her right arm and ask where she got it.

“Oh this…” She notices the wound, rubs it with her left hand, causing it to instantly disappear via magic “It is nothing, just an ugly Krogan with an assault rifle that did not know to respect a Goddess” Elizabeth looks a bit embarrassed at the fact.

You notice a few other scars and injuries on her, minor ones but still, and say if she needs help you are willing.

“I am fine” she says but she is not fine you think, “I am a Goddess and Wildcard. You can help me by completing your journey properly” she is getting a bit defensive.

You say you mean emotional help, like a hug.

“You know what? A hug would be lovely right about now” Elizabeth outstretches your arms and approaches for a hug. You stand up and give her a bear hug, scooping her up.

She begins to cry a bit. You can tell rescuing Wildcards is taking its toll on her.

“Thank you, Makoto. Don’t worry, I won’t overburden you. Odiya is also there for me.” Elizabeth says.

You kiss her on the forehead but begin to wake up in real space.

You say “see you soon” which she returns. You can tell you have gotten closer to her.

PING!

_Your Bond With Death Arcana Has Grown._ **Level 2.**

You smell dinner being prepared and hear the laughter of your friends and head out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Elizabeth is an nearly unstoppable force in the Psychic Realm. 
> 
> In Real-Space however, in a Future with mass-driver guns.........


	24. Dream of Blue Booby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Odiya readies a new machine.

You get up and notice a recent text from Kinney. You check it and it says “Day with mom? How did it go?”

You respond saying you avoided triggering her, had a good day together, and she kind of hit on you. You ask if that is normal.

She texts back saying “She flirts with almost everyone not dating her kids, provided she thinks the recipients are cool with it. Coping mechanism maybe? She will stop if you say you do not want it. She and Freya have a healthy open dynamic though so do not concern yourself with that. Glad you had fun. We just finished dinner and are watching a new Human Animation Series that is streaming. You familiar with this “Dragon Ball” show? It seems like an adaptation of something”.

You text you are familiar with Dragon Ball but are not in the mood for it right now. You get up and check social media. Nothing much going on, so you decide to eat out.

You greet everyone on the couch, and head out, taking Pistol and Knife with you.

You walk around the neighborhood, familiarizing with the area. You buy bits of food from different cultural restaurants and see the sights.

After 2 hours of wandering and getting an internal map of your area, you are content with your walk and head home. You return to find Michal, Xan, Lili, and Freya have gone off to bed. Kinney and Zail sit on the main table waiting for you.

“Makoto, this about the threesome you want with us.” Zail says

“We picked some good options for days, but we have one in mind. The night 3 days before your school term begins” Kinney continues.

You check your Omni-tool to see if you have anything planned that day but find that aside from maybe studying for future classes, you are clear that evening.

“Excellent. We want to make it a wonderful night” Zail says getting up and kissing you on the cheek, before he heads off to bed.

“Can’t do it tonight because we have plans for tomorrow morning, but we will be going all out on that night.” Kinney gets up and kisses you on the other cheek and joins her husband.

You say you look forward to it.

You head off to bed, tired from your walk-about. You dream of an Aria from Everywhere and Nowhere.

You materialize in the Velvet Observatory. Odiya in her nude glory waits for you.

“Peace Be Upon You Child” She greets you and you greet her back.

You ask why she has summoned you, and she says she has another task for you.

She says she want you to utilize other Persona, apart from Enterprise, to slay a Shadow she will summon.

You agree. You have been wanting to see how well your new Persona handle anyhow.

She summons an Asari Ogre analog called a “Vore’Gorre’Norrre” with a finger snap and teleports out of the way.

All your guns and other tools materialize in your possession. The Ogre charges. You dodge out of the ogre’s way and cloak.

The beast smells you despite the cloak, but it is to late. You summon the Tor’Wrex and activate the Marksman interface on Conviction. You use your Persona to Krump the Ogre and fire off 2 grenades into it.

The beast is severely damaged, but it was not enough. It takes a massive swing at you and you dodge but the blow grazes you and damages you, knocking Conviction out of your hand.

You activate the Fortification over-armor and summon Lizzil, armoring up and using Persona to heal.

You ignore trying to get the illusion Conviction back and dash towards the beast, once more summoning the Tor’Wrex. You use Persona to restrain the Ogre and vent the power from your over-armor into your armor’s arm servos. You quick-draw slash with Hikaru the Ogre in a grenade wound and slay it. It dematerializes, and Odiya claps in congratulations.

“Well Done Child” Odiya says. She snaps her fingers and a new machine emerges next to the Persona-Fusion one. “This machine allows to add the power of one Persona into another. You can use it to directly augment a Persona by sacrificing another”

You nod, but say you are content with the Persona you have for now.

She nods, and offers her hand for a shake. You give it and ask her opinions on Elizabeth.

“My Child, Elizabeth is a strong woman. She is more then ready for the challenges of the Galaxy, but should she stumble, you and I will help her up.” Odiya sounds genuine, and you are comforted by this.

You feel your bond with Odiya grow.

_PING!_

_Your Bond With Temperance Arcana Has Grown._ **Level 2.**

You begin to wake up in real-space and she waves you off. You wave back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do not underestimate Odiya.


	25. Communist MILFefesto

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being alone, you join a Union.

You wake up and check your messages first for a change.

Michal is attending a sibling’s wedding and will be off Citadel for a couple days, on a human colony. Lili, Xan and Zail have gone to Omega Station to “visit old friends” for 2 days apparently. You will check with Kinney if that is what they are actually doing. Speaking of Kinney she is working with Freya on the Shadow Incident from yesterday, and might be busy for a while.

You check a private message from Xan and learn that they will try and keep their mother and brother from doing anything too stupid on their trip. They admit visiting the source of trauma is probably unhealthy, but Lili does in fact have good friends on Omega still. They also apologize for leaving you alone. You wish them luck in a reply text.

You get up and do your exercises, record the Odiya and Elizabeth encounters in your journal, and shower. Your Omni-tool pings and you get a message from Zail.

“Sorry for leaving you alone dude. Can I call you dude? Is that misgendering? Tell me if dude is ok. Anyhow I have allocated you enough money that you should be fine for a while, so go nuts. All the bills are paid for the next 20 years on the house, and similar things are covered. Don’t do uninvited guests though, or parties. See you soon.” You text back that “dude” is ok, and even encouraged. You get a thumbs up emoji in response.

You get another text from Michal as you change. “Sorry for leaving comrade. I have been out of the loop with my family and my eldest sister had proposed to her girlfriend of 2 years last week. They moved to a nearby colony and are having the wedding tomorrow. Be back when I can.” You text him that you hope he has fun, to which Michal replies with a series of happy emojis.

You get a combined message from Kinney and Freya as you exit your room. “Sup Makoto. Kinney here because I type faster than Freya. We are still on the Citadel, but we are busy with a “Cult of Truth” incident. Someone tried to smuggle a Shadow Artifact from the Drell home-world onto the Citadel and it is bouncing in and out of reality causing annoyance. This will keep me and Freya busy for a bit. Be back when we can.” You wish them luck, and receive a thumbs up emoji. You note the ward the artifact is in and remember to avoid it.

You grab breakfast, some leftover curry. You check social media for anything to do and notice the meeting of local leftists is gathering today at the Metro-Station. You have been meaning to go there for a bit.

You check the rules for them.

  * Pistols/Knives are allowed and encouraged to be brought, though anything bigger then an SMG must be screened first. Omni-tool weapons must be declared. This is justified saying the working class deserves to be armed.
  * Membership is allowed via “recruitment days”, a twice a month event, and you must prove your trustworthiness to join. You check and learn it is a recruitment day.
  * It is for the enrichment of the Citadel’s working class and other social activism.
  * Meetings are “weekly” though certain things will cause them to align in more frequently, such as strikes and elections.
  * Snacks will be provided. Only those with special diets such as Dextro diets can bring outside food, for sanitary and allergen reasons.

The meeting is a few hours, so you watch some of your shows, and then summon a cab to go to the Metro-station. You bring pistol and knife.

You wander around the mall for a bit, checking the various stores, hanging near the meeting place.

Towards the time, you see a few people gather towards the meeting room and figure it is time.

The crowd is mostly human and Asari, about a dozen each, but you spot 6 Turians, 2 Batarian refugee, 3 Salarians and a Krogan. All most all carry pistols.

You enter the meeting room and see screens that cycle through old fashion propaganda posters. You recognize some from Earth history and see that many cultures have had leftist movements, some even analogous to Humanity’s.

Another Krogan, an armored one, stops you as you enter.

“You are new. Any weapons to declare.” He says.

You point out your pistol, Evoker and knife, and he scans you to check for anything else. You are clean and he points to your seat.

An Asari enters from another entrance, the group greets her as the leader. She is a matron by your guess. She was more a “standard” asari you guess, a far cry from the dancers, Specters, commandos, and other celebrities that Asari media tends to focus on. She has fat in all the places that you really should not be staring. “OMGs Makoto stop being horny” you chastise yourself internally yet again. She wears a standard Asari dress and has 2 M-4 Shuriken SMG at her belt, one on each side.

“Greetings friends” the Asari says, to more greetings from the group. Her voice is friendly. You notice her face tattoos. You remember from your Xeno Culture courses on Earth Asari often use them to indicate their father culture. Hers indicate Krogan heritage.

“Oh My, we have a new face? Are you just visiting, or do you want membership? I am Inanna I’Rise” she says noticing you.

You introduce yourself as Makoto Lee, your pronouns (They/Them) and your interest in joining. You see a bowl of an asari analog of tortilla chips and grab one.

“Wait… are you the Makoto living with the K’Zals? I am a family friend of them. I think I have seen you on their social media feeds” Inanna says

You confirm and would go into detail but the armored Krogan interrupts, “Ah maam, we on a bit of a clock” he reminds.

“Right. We can do personal business later. Why do you want to join the Local Leftists Makoto?” Inanna corrects herself.

You say you have a history of social activism on Earth and have an interest in continuing it here. You are about to give a record of accomplishments, such as a fight you got into in a bar with a bigot, but Inanna interrupts.

“No need for details for now” she activates omni-tool and points hers at yours. Yours bings with a message of joining. “Welcome to the Local Leftists.” 

The meeting lasts 2 hours of which many local issues are discussed. From an attack on Batarian refugees that C-Sec is dragging their feet on investigating, to Krogan and Quarian rights and if a local union should strike.

You largely keep quiet, wanting to read the room. You voice a word of support when everyone agrees on something, which is frequent.

After the meeting wraps up and cleaning droids come in, and the propaganda posters shift into a cartoon art to prep for the next group to meet in the room, which you learn is for a fandom meet of Earth animation. You wonder if you should stay for that since you like animation, but Inanna interrupts your thoughts.

“Want to get lunch together? It might seem weird, but you seem trusting and any friend of the K’Zals is a friend of mine.”

You agree and you head off to the food court. Inanna talks about herself. She was born Illium, one of the first kids there. She moved to the Citadel because she got sick of the immorality and capitalism baked into Illium culture. You learn that Inanna used to work at The Little Death with Lili as a guard, where they became friends. She is good friends with Lili still and they do frequent meet ups.

She worked at The Little Death to pay for her University, to become a politician, to make lives better. It is what she does now, she is part of the Citadel local leadership and she hopes to become local Mayor of the district one day, perhaps more. She is 400 years old last week. You wish her happy late birthday. She thanks you.

She gets a message on her Omni-tool. “Oh, my daughter just rang, and she needs help with an art project. See you next week Makoto, or sooner” she says leaving the court. You wish her well. You do not feel a full bond with her yet, but you feel a potential there.

You wander the mall a bit before heading back to the K’Zal house. Play video games, do some exercises, have dinner, and check your messages.

Zail asks how you have been, and you say you went to the Local Leftists meeting and had dinner with Inanna. He says “nice”, and hopes you have fun. You note he refers to Inanna as “Aunt Inanna”.

Kinney and Freya say the Artifact has been contained, and they are going to be rounding up the “Truth” cultists tomorrow. You wish them luck, to which they respond with a series of thumbs up emojis.

Michal sends a group image of him with his large family with their new member. You can see where he gets his 2 meters of height from. You compliment the family and Michal, and Michal responds with a barrage of smile emojis.

You wrap up your day with cartoons and head to bed. You dream your normal dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inanna is the Empress S-link for reference. 
> 
> Did all the Asari in the ME games have the same body type? I think they did. Shame. 
> 
> Inanna has a mom-bod. Chonk as they say. Thicc as they also say.


	26. Jeez Makoto, who let you forshadow 3 (three) future S-links.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You enter a group chat and play video games all day. The Dream!

You get up and do your normal routine.

Checking messages, you find that Kinney and Freya will be back before the usual sleep-time, Michal will be back by the evening and Zail/Lili/Xan will be back by tomorrow morning.

You decide that you should check social media to see if there are any events. You find a group-chat dedicated to your upcoming Sociology class, “Bob’s Sociology Room”, and join after proving you are a future student.

You get 2 private messages via the group-chat, one from the teacher, a Salarian named Bob and another from a human student named “Jane Anders”.

The one from the teacher is a pre-recorded video welcoming his students to his class, and despite being a pre-recorded message, it endears him to you. He is an elderly Salarian, battle-scared but kind looking. His message is one of hope and welcoming. You think you will like him.

The one from the fellow student is a message saying “OMGs another human? AND YOUR NON-BINARY 2?? WE MUST HANG OUT!” with a stream of emojis and key-smashing. The “another human” comment confuses you, so you check the other members of the chat and learn that you and Jane are the only humans taking Cross-Cultural Sociology. You roll your eyes and realize why. Sociology is not exactly the big school seller for most humans, and those that attend CU are attending the “hard sciences” mostly, though some are also taking up writing and history.

You message them back with greetings. You say you are interested in hanging out, given your free day today. They message back saying “Not today. Therapy appointment. But maybe when school starts?”. You agree. You have been meaning to find a decent queer humans collective on the Citadel, but to not much luck. Perhaps you could start one with them?

You and Jane do a bit more chatting, mostly on schedules for school so you can figure out a decent day to hang out. You find they, like you, have a comparatively light lesson plan. You ask why? They respond with “Former Marine. Trying to Find New Path. All I can say for now.”. Former Marine? You think. Your parents taught you “Once a marine always a marine” or something like that. Then again times may have changed. You choose not to pry.

You decide that hanging out after your shared lesson would be best with them. You wish them well and log out of the group chat.

You grab breakfast and afterwards a walk around the Presidium, arriving there via cab. You get bored after an hour and head back home.

You grab lunch and remember that Video Games exist. You remember the one Xan likes, “Mind/Soul/Heart Realm Fantasy”. You learn it is having a discount on the sale today, so you buy/download it to your Omni-tool and play it on the big TV in the living room.

It is an addictive game. You come up with your gamer tag of “W1ldC4rd-NB”. You go with a Paladin/Jack of All Trades build. You will enjoy playing it in your off hours. You join a “clan” and are accepted immediately. You advance quickly and accept an advanced for your level quest line, to which you are joined by a fellow new player “Infiltrait0rN7” and some others.

It is an intense quest. Most of the others leave, rage-quitting, but Infiltrait0rN7, a brilliant stealth build, stays. You fight the odds and win the questline together.

Infiltrait0rN7 sends you a friend request and you accept. They message times when they will be available to play, and you send a similar list to them. You have a good amount of overlap. You message that you look forward to playing again, and they message similarly.

You get up and see that Kinney and Freya have arrived. Freya is concerned that you have been playing games for hours straight, but Kinney tells Freya that the occasional gaming binge will not hurt. You make dinner for them as something to do, given both are tired from a day of arresting cultists. You grab a light amount of food and head off on a short walk to stetch your legs. When you return, you see Michal returning and he is looking joyous.

“COMRADE I SHALL BE UNCLE SOON!!!” Michal says, wrapping you up in a bear hug. You bear hug back.

Michal explains he served as donor for the child his sister-in-law will be giving birth to. You congratulate him more as you enter. Freya and Kinney are pleased as they learn the news.

You start to feel tired. You say good evening to your new family and head off to bed.

You collapse in bed and dream your normal dreams. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes Infiltrait0rN7 is exactly who you think they are.


	27. Not Much Going On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set Up Set Up Set Up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mostly following up ideas from last chapter, and some previous chapters like the upcoming threesome.

The next couple days go by in a blur without much soul searching or big emotional moments.

Lili and her kids managed to go to Omega, meet old friends, and not suffer any more psychological harm (Xan’s work mostly). They (the asari K’Zals) also congratulate Michal on his future Uncle status.

You play your games with your new online friend. Infiltrait0rN7 is an interesting fellow you think. You learn they work as a government solider and use games a method of venting. They say they would like to keep exact details of their identity a secret for security reasons. You say you are a humble human student, also keeping exact details a secret. You play when you can, and usually with them.

You talk frequently with Inanna and Jane in the Local Leftist group chat and Student group chat respectively.

Inanna is busy often, politics and all, and you learn that Lili often child-sits for her. You also learn an “emergency meeting” of the LL is tomorrow. It is mostly in response to a local union going on strike and the LL deciding the best way to support them. You say you will go.

Jane and you exchange selfies and wow they are pretty. They say they have Indian/Desi background though were born on a void-ship, and were raised mostly in on various void-ships. They have muscles like you. You say you and them should workout together sometime. They agree and compliment your selfie as well. You set a date later, after school starts, to workout together.

After you leave the group chat with Jane, you think you might have seen their face before, but are not sure where? The news maybe? You brush off the thought, since Zail is calling you.

It is just Zail and Kinney, with everyone else out and about. 

“Makoto, this is about the threesome that is coming up in 2 days. We need to know if you want to set anything up” Zail says.

“Toys, equipment, anything beyond the lube we normally use. Don’t worry we have 2 large barrels of lube.” Kinney follows up.

You are initially baffled that they would need so much lube on hand, but then when you think about it, it makes sense with Zail and Kinney. You think lewd thoughts about this, chastise yourself but then realize you are supposed to be thinking lewd thoughts with them, you are going to be sleeping with them soon!

You say your interests are mostly vanilla. You do mention you prefer to top, and do not really do “rough” or “hard” sex.

“Understandable. Any safe-words/codes/actions?” Kinney says, “We are both bottom-leaning and this is for you, so we will let you take lead.”

You give the few you had with your last boyfriend on Earth. They give theirs.

The three of you nod, your collective day of fucking happening and negotiated. Kinney and Zail get up, kiss you on the face cheeks at the same time, and head out the door, saying they have some Exorcist business to take care of.

You head out, needing to vent some energy. You head to a nearby gym and blow off some steam on some weight equipment, treadmill, and punching bag. You return home, go to your room, have “private time” with some lewd writing, shower, and sleep.

You dream your normal dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah this is me just doing some more set up/foreshadowing.
> 
> Empress S-link established next chapter. Then The Threesome. Then a Treat! Then the School Year Starts!


	28. The Power of Mutual Aid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Communism Works, when backed by the will of the people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Workers of the World, Unite!

You wake up early and do your routine.

Checking messages, everyone is busy today.

You awoke before anyone else. You grab a larger than normal breakfast of oat porridge sweetened with brown sugar and catch up with your shows.

Michal gets out of his room first. “Morning Makoto” he grumbles. He is wearing boxers and an old t-shirt with a cartoon mascot on it. You see is more tattooed then you assumed on his hairy arms and legs. A mix of nerd culture as well as symbols of healing and medicine. He grabs some leftovers and digs in with a coffee given to him by a maid droid. He grumbles words that your translator does not understand. You think he is not fully ready yet. You ignore him until the caffeine kicks in. 

Xan is next. They are fully changed already, wearing a casual/comfy Asari outfit and large headphones. They sign greetings, taking a moment to gaze-upon Michal in his groggy state. They sign they have therapy today, followed up with a gaming session at The Synapse Nexus. They sign to you that they have sent a friend-request on “Mind/Soul/Heart Realm Fantasy” and expect you to accept. You boot up your omni-tool and do so. They thank you and head off.

Freya and Lili come out next. They wear matching pajamas once more, which you recently learned in a Wiki binge is a traditional Asari sign of love and equal standing with a partner.

Freya’s assistant drone and the maid droids help Freya out of her PJs and into a more casual outfit. Freya says that it is the birthday of one of her Elcor girlfriends, and Freya is going to the party. Lili is not because she scheduled to volunteer at an Asari childcare center already, plus Lili despite her efforts has never really gotten Elcor culture. They have breakfast together, kiss, and head in different directions as they exit. Lili comes back in and goes to her room to change, having left PJs on. She comes out in her usual outfit of graphic tee (this one saying “Cool Mom” in bright colors on a black shirt), tight jeans and sandals. She also has a backpack which you guess is full of necessities.

Kinney and Zail come out next, both nude and recently showered. Kinney is perkier last time you saw her wake up, and heads to grab her pills. Zail goes to the fridge and grabs them both some food. They sit down and eat some of the curry Lili made earlier.

“Threesome tomorrow” Zail says, to which Kinney agrees.

You respond with yes.

“We will start at around 3:00pm human time and go until one of us can’t any go anymore. When one of us stop, we all stop. Please be clean before hand” Kinney follows up, to which Zail agrees.

You nod in understanding.

“Your meeting is soon with the LL? Say hi to Aunt Inanna for me” Zail says.

You check your time. You have an hour, but you have been sitting here watching your friends go about their day. Zail and Kinney say they will keep an eye on Michal until he feels better, and then will head off to do paperwork.

You summon a cab and head off to the Metro-station, brining gun and knife. The meeting is not for some time, but you can hang out. You stop by The Synapse Nexus and play that old Featherman arcade system for a bit and look at what else they have. You check you time and you figure you can see if you can get in early.

You arrive at the meeting room and the armored Krogan lets you in after scanning you. You ask his name and his name is Lorgar of clan Artemis. You nod and take a seat. You are the first to arrive.

Inanna enters from the other entrance and sets up the snacks. “Oh hello Makoto. Sorry to call you in like this but the Dockworker’s union is striking, and we must support them. The Salarians and the Batarians refugees who attend our meetings here work at the docks and need our help” she explains.

You nod in understanding. You also give the greetings from Zail.

“Oh Zail. Good memories when I child-sat for him and later Xan.” Inanna looks up fondly but straightens out when others arrive. Larger crowd then last time, more Salarians and Batarians as well.

“Makoto. Can you look up for yourself Citadel strike and worker rights laws? I do not really have time to explain.” Inanna says to you before beginning a direction of the meeting.

As you read you hear what the issues are about. Several Salarian men, and Batarians of various genders, all dock workers, were killed in an accident caused by faulty equipment a few weeks ago.

The specific port it happened is owned by an Asari company. The Union claims since culturally their workers are viewed as disposable by society, they were not given proper equipment by the Company, among other factors. 

The Union is striking until better equipment is given to the workers, as well as compensation to the families of the lost and the company sued for negligence by council authorities.

Inanna says the workers will need support, and she has set up a crowd-funding pool for the striking workers to draw from, so they can maintain the strike. The dock workers union has several hundred thousand workers, the largest unions on the Citadel.

All around people add money to the pool via Omni-tool app and encouraging their friends to do so via social media. You check to see if you could add some and your eyes go wide as you see the extent of Zail’s generosity. He has added 5 million credits to your account since you rescued him. You dump 3 million into the pool without thinking. 

Everyone’s eyes go wide as they see your number added. You say you got a large amount of reward money recently and do not exactly need all of it now. The crowd’s eyes go even wider when they see Michal adding 4.5 million credits with a Hammer and Sickle emoji and a “Workers of the Worlds Unite” message.

You see the rest of the K’Zals adding millions of credits to the pool as well. The rest of the Ivanovs add more credits, more humble amounts, but still notable. You see your parents add some as well.

The absolute jaw dropping moment was when one particular name tops all donations. Saren Arterius adds 24 million credits.

Names keep piling up, and Inanna says that they could fund moreof strikes with this money. She calls the meeting off after assigning tasks to various people, for coordinating relief to workers and their families, as well as seeing if any other union could do with a good Strike. She asks you to lunch and you say yes.

“HOW RICH ARE YOU?” She says on the way to the food court. You say you donated most of the money Zail gave you for saving him at the Spaceport. Michal did the same. Not sure what everyone else was doing.

“The K’Zals have always been allies of the working class despite their current wealth. They have not forgotten their roots. Saren probably wanted to out do the K’Zals. The rest are inspired by their message.” Inanna realizes

You sit down with her at the food court.

“That incident at the Space-Port… How did it happen?” Inanna asks, “If it is classified, fine, but I am curious, given I acted as a second mother too Zail”

You give the “Official” story Zail had you practice. You and Michal were unaffected by a Dark Hour bomb, him because of his active Persona ability, you because of a latent talent (which Zail explained to you yes is a real thing). When Zail was disabled via a “Light Magic” bomb, you grabbed an Archic Evoker he had on him and shared it between yourself and Michal, allowing Zail to destroy the Dark Hour bomb. You leave any mention of the Wildcard ability or Elizabeth out.

“Wow. Amazing stuff. Glad to know Zail was saved. He really is a second child to me. Well first given he is 2 centuries older than my actual kid. Want to see a picture of her?” Inanna says, to which you say yes.

“Lili K’Rise” Inanna shows you an image of a 30-year-old Asari child. She looks like a human 12-year-old, which makes sense. You remember Asari grow slowly. Not reaching full physical maturity till 40-50 depending on circumstances like diet, and not reaching emotional maturity till 90-100 usually.

You say she is adorable, to which the Asari thanks you.

“You are a good person Makoto. I am proud to have you on the Local Leftists” Inanna says putting her right hand on yours.

You feel a strong bond to her.

_PING!_

_“Thou Art I and I am Thou”  
“Thou Hast Formed A New Bond”_

_“These Are The Bonds That Shall Change The Galaxy”_

_“You Have Awakened The Power of the Empress Arcana” _

Inanna gets a text from her daughter and tells you “see you later”. You give a wave goodbye and head to a gym.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do we have an official timeline on Asari growth rates? I made-up mine but it sounds accurate imo.
> 
> Also I am using Credit=Yen logic, which the ME lore supports. So 3,000,000 credit is more like 39,045.00 Canadian Dollars. 
> 
> A lot of money, a year's worth I think, but not chucking around lifetimes.


	29. Congrats on the Sex

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Day has Arrived. 3-some time.

After a light workout and lunch, you returned to the K’Zal house to shower and change. Michal is the only one there currently, playing fighting games so that he may one day defeat Xan at video game. Good Luck with that you think, not wanting to interrupt your friend.

You go to your room and shower/change, and then set yourself up with some streaming shows.

You indulge some trashy Asari dramas for an hour until you here others return.

Lili and Freya return first. You give greetings and tell them of your day. Lili tells you that Lili K’Rise was at the child-care center where Lili K’Zal volunteered today. Freya says she had a lovely time with her other girlfriends.

Kinney and Zail arrive next. They grab some dinner and head to bed saying they want to charge-up for tomorrow. You nod in understanding and say you will head to bed soon as well.

Xan arrives last, saying they were called by Inanna to help sort out the fund allocations. You all nod in understanding.

You head off to bed and dream your normal dreams.

You get up early but stay in bed for a bit longer. After an hour or so of thinking about things, ranging from your situations to simply weird things, you get up and do your routine.

You check your messages. Zail gave out a priority message, a video one.

“I DID IT DUDES!!! ARMAX ARESENAL AREANA FINALLY INSTALLED THE UPGRADES I (ok and the other Exorcists and the Council) I REQUESTED/FUNDED/DEVELOPED!!!” The message begins excitedly. “They installed the tech that can allow Persona users to safely use Persona within the Arena. We can train better! To celebrate they are inviting Exorcists to try it out. The K’Zals, and that includes you Makoto and Michal, get first dibs.” You nod in an approval. “Tomorrow morning, get up well rested and put on your armor, because we are going to AAA!”

You schedule it in. You look forward to showing off.

You check the other messages. Michal is doing some studying and later gaming. Xan is doing archive work. Kinney and Zail are doing paperwork but will be back in time for lewd times they promise. Freya and Lili are having a day out together. You do a walk around the neighborhood, and then have lunch and play with Infiltrait0rN7 for a good bit.

You here Kinney and Zail enter, calling for you, and you say good day to your gaming buddy. They wish you well.

Kinney and Zail enter their room and invite you in. You join them.

You look around while Kinney and Zail strip down. It is both what you expected and not. The room is clean, which you expected. Lot of photo-screens, displaying Exorcists past and present, including one you know is Omna T’Gaia from your research, with Zail and Freya several decades ago. You see bondage equipment/sex toys such as rope harnesses on display and ready to use, but you are not in the mood for those. You also see a prominent shrine to the Drell pantheon in a corner. The bed, larger than yours, is against the wall in the back, center of the room.

“So….... How do You want to start?” Zail says.

You quickly strip and ask Zail if it is OK to start with him. He consents, and you leap at him and engage in sloppy make outs and groping. Kinney changes the photos from Exorcists to pornographic images as she watches you fuck her husband.

You take turns with each other, though you are getting most of the attention, since you are the guest. You 3 make good use of the Lube they have.

It is Zail that calls it quits first, with the iconic phrase of “Embrace Eternity”, binding your 3 minds together in a shared orgasm.

The effort of binding three minds, plus the strength of the orgasm, causes Zail to pass out. You and Kinney cuddle him as he sleeps, and pass off to dream land as well, but not before Kinney says thank you for the wonderful love-session.

As you fade from consciousness, you here the Aria from Everywhere and Nowhere.

Elizabeth and Odiya stand before you. Odiya is as nude as ever, though Elizabeth is in her usual outfit, repaired, with Elizabeth looking better. Between them is a cake, a good-looking cake. On the cake in icing is a message. “Congrats on the Sex”. Both Odiya and Elizabeth give a thumbs up and smiles. 

You approach the cake but are awaken by a knocking sound in real-space.

“Makoto? Kinney? Zail?” you here Lili knocking on the door as you wake up. Kinney gets up as you do.

“We are fine mom. Makoto is getting up with me, Zail is still out from bonding three minds together.”

“He is still out after 3? He needs practice. When I was his age, I was binding 6 minds for sex easily and still had energy to spare.” Lili says.

“Mom, gross. I am going to shower.” Kinney says getting out of bed. She goes to the shower and turns on the cold water to get the lube and other fluids off her.

You grab your clothing, saying thank you for the session, which Kinney says, “you are welcome, we should do this again”, and you quickly get sweatpants on and you rush to your room. You rush past Lili, who is in her huntress armor, and see Michal, Xan and Freya are also armed and armored.

You remember that you are doing the AAA gathering today. You shower and put on your armor/grab your weapons.

You exit and see that Michal and Xan have also bought you a cake with a “Congrats on the Sex” message on it. They to give thumbs up and smiles.

Kinney and Zail enter the kitchen and have dawned their armor. Kinney’s is evocative of Asari huntress armor, which makes sense given her biotic nature and connection to Asari.

You all eat cake and have breakfast.

When you are done, Zail summons a cab to escort you to AAA. Lili says she will get Inanna and her friends from the Little Death first and heads to her car.

You look forward to Violence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes I chickened out on writing a full sex scene. I got nervous, and really wanted to skip ahead to the AAA bit.


	30. Welcome To Armax Arsenal Arena

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You Play Arcade Games At The Galaxies Most Expensive Arcade.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tbh Andromeda should have had an AAA equivalent. It was a good place to test guns.

Your party arrives at AAA. Many you recognize as Exorcists are attending, makes sense given the day is meant for Exorcists, but some others have come to watch Zail and the rest fight holograms.

You are permitted to enter the designated Arena for the K’Zals, and Zail makes plans with you.

  
“Ok traditionally these are done in squads of three. I propose Xan, Makoto and Michal go in first on a Silver tier for some time. Given it is Michal and Makoto’s first time, Xan will help them. Then Freya, Kinney and I will do some on gold. Not sure what mom’s plans are, but I assume it will be amazing.” Zail tells you, to a rounding agreement.

You, Michal, and Xan get ready while the rest head up to watch. You notice Michal’s armor is medium-weight, same as yours. His left arm contains the various omni-tool weapons as well as a healing gauntlet (a container/applier full of medi-gel among other healing devices, and a medical saw to carve open armor, either allied to better heal them or enemy armor to make sure healing does not need to happen), while he keeps his right-hand on his Tempest.

You give words of encouragement while taking out Conviction, to which Michal responds with cheer and Xan responds telepathically “Try to keep up” smugly while taking out their Purifier.

Zail contacts you over intercom, “Ok dudes, going to set up with a Silver tier Shadow enemy group. Have Fun!” he says.

Shadow-themed holograms begin spawning around you. The three of you are ready.

Xan activates their Tech-Armor and invokes the Annihilation Field Biotic ability. They summon their Persona and the Asari that they summon shifts, changing into a combat mode, biotics ablaze. You have read of this, certain Navigators being able to change their Persona into more. Xan dashes into enemy lines not really paying attention to either you or Michal. They unleash all hells with their Persona Tali, lobbing orbs of white light which you realize are the “neutral element” blasts. They make precision shots with the Purifier and use their biotics to blunt enemy damage, ruin armor and enhance their melee strikes.

Michal heads to cover, using the Tempest to suppress enemies in between recharges of his omni-tool weapons and Persona attacks. If an enemy gets to close, his medical-saw butchers it. He seems to have a good idea what to do with combat, so you leave him be unless he calls for help, which he does not.

You activate your Fortification over-armor and get going with Conviction. You shoot enemies where Xan and Michal are not. The improvements you and Xan made to the launcher are noticeable, even without the Marksman interface you have a decent flow of grenades. If a Shadow gets to close, Hikaru and your flamethrower save your skin. If to many enemies start to target you, cloaking out and moving into cover seems to work. Enterpise you use mostly to target areas none of you are shooting at, to keep the enemy suppressed. 

You 3 go for about 30 minutes until Zail calls you off. “That is great guys, but we have a long line of Exorcists trying to get into this Arena, so why don’t you wrap up.” You and Michal were starting to get tired anyhow from the moving about and Persona use. Xan looks annoyed, they were having fun and have Persona ability to spare. Xan relents though, and summons Persona one last time to shift it back into Navigator mode.

As you exit, Kinney, Zail and Freya enter. You wish them luck which gets a resounding thank you.

More powerful enemies are summoned this time, but unlike your team, these three have been fighting along side each other for years. They coordinate.

Freya’s rotary canon is a Rotary Shotgun you discover, and she unleashes a hailstorm of constant suppressing fire that forces Shadows into cover, advanced coolant system allowing for constant stream of buckshot. If an enemy gets to close from the sides, flack-canons on the sides of her armor annihilate them. If enemy tries to shoot her, her Fortification over-armor blocks the attack. If too large an enemy emerges, she uses the Adrenaline Surge to overcharge herself and punch it directly, obliterating Shadow. You heard legends of the Elcor “Living Tanks” but this is the first you have seen them. She moves quicker then you initially thought as well, adrenaline and armor servos enhancing movement and allowing her shotgun to get where needed. Her Persona allows her to analyze enemy weaknesses and cast Agi upon them. Michal’s jaw drops and you understand why, but then your gaze turns to Kinney and Zail.

Kinney’s assassin training becomes apparent. Her biotics dismantle the enemies and her Assassin’s pistol snipes priority targets, those that tried to hide from Freya’s hailstorm. Kinney’s biotic talent is fearsome. She Warps enemy armor and Throws them aside with impunity. If something too big emerges for those to handle, she utilizes the powerful Flare biotic ability. Her swords skill makes you envious, to the point you remind yourself to ask her for some sword lessons. Her Persona, Pharika, a Drell saint figure of poisons, casts “Holy” magic and Spells that Poison the enemies. Her Persona looks like a Naga, but Drell, you think. 

Zail stuns you with how deadly he is. Utilizing Blade-Armor and his Biotic talent, his simple kicks shred even the toughest enemies. He dashes around with iconic Biotic Charge, never in one place for too long. His 2 Disciple shotguns shred the minor enemies while his melee attacks slay the mighty. If the enemy tries to dog pile him, a biotic shockwave emerges, or he detonates the blade armor to shred nearby enemies into gore (you are grateful these are just holograms, you realize just how bloody his fighting style would be against flesh enemies), or he overcharges his shotguns via the Carnage interface. His Persona, Torgaddon, is reserved for only the most powerful of beast, the true monsters. You can tell it takes a toll on Zail to use such a powerful Persona in real-space, but Toragaddon’s melee strikes could fell tanks. 

Freya suppresses, Kinney snipes, Zail disrupts. They have done such actions before you realize.

Xan calls off her family after 30 minutes, and Zail and Kinney look beat.

“Annoyed: You 2 were showing off to the public. You should not be doing that” Freya says.

“True, but we had fun” Kinney says exhausted, giving a thumbs up, to which her equally exhausted husband also gives.

As they exit the arena, 2 Volus Exorcists and a Salarian Exorcist enter. You wish them well but are distracted by a familiar voice, “Hey guys”.

It is Lili with an entourage of 5 other armored Asari, including Inanna. You recognize the gun Lili carries from games, the Batarian AT-12 Raider, and she also has a copy of the Purifier at her hip. Lili looks lovely in her armor and carries the 2 SMGs you see her bring to the Local Leftist meetings. You give greetings to the group.

“Sup mom” Kinney and Zail say. Xan signs greetings, which you can tell mean “Hello Mother”.

“Me and my friends are going to the 6-person team Arena to do a Platinum run, Pirate Port mode. Want to watch?”

“Sure” your group collectively says, except Xan who signs agreement.

You are mind boggled at the level of coordination these Asari have, but then you remember they all trained together as guards at The Little Death. Your eyes are mostly trying to keep track of Lili. Woman bounces around much like her son, biotic charging around the arena slaying the Pirate Holograms. She relies more on biotic ranged powers, rather then melee strikes compared to Zail though. She also sings in Asari war-songs as she fights, which the other Asari sing with.

Zail smiles next to you. “She was the one who taught me to fight. Her and dad, and Inanna…… Ok a lot of people taught me how to fight, but I based my style off her.” Zail begins to ramble, but you get the gist. He was taught to fight as soon as he could walk, at his father’s insistence, and this gave Zail a leg-up when it came time for him to become one of the Citadel’s Commandos.

You notice Inanna as well. She lay into enemies with dual pistols and unleashes Singularities and other high-level biotic ability. You are impressed and aroused.

The rest of the Asari are also impressive. None in this party use Persona, you notice.

You get hungry, and which point you and Michal head-off to get lunch with permission.

You feel your bond with your friends go closer.

PING!

_Your Bond With Fool Arcana Has Grown._ **Level 2.**

You and Michal stop at a Fusion-Ramen place on the Silver Sun Strip and nerd out over your accomplishments.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Michal's "medical gauntlet" is inspired by the Narthecium from 40k, the thing Space Marine apothacary use for healing and violence. 
> 
> The AAA will be a recurring location. Not a "date" one, but I think I will have the Party go there once a month for training.


	31. Calm Day. End of Prolouge.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What it says on the tin.

After Lili and her party complete their run, an endurance test which lasted an hour and was only ended simply because there were people waiting for the Arena they were using, your new family returned to the K’Zal house and had a good pizza party.

The Little Death Guards returned to their duties, but Inanna came with the K’Zals and even brought her daughter Lili with her to the house.

Cute kid, a bit shy with groups, but you understand. You were like that as well. 

After an hour of Pizza and Beer and other junk food, you decide to wrap up and head to bed.

You hop in bed and dream of an Aria from Everywhere and Nowhere.

You materialize in the Velvet Observatory and Elizabeth and Odiya sit before you, across from each other on separate couches. They converse together in their eldritch language, and it seems Elizabeth has taken up Odiya’s casual nudism, though maintains her hat.

You get their attention by paying compliment to Elizabeth’s fashion choice.

“It is refreshing, to be free of clothing in the comfort of home. Not sure if I will maintain this long term though, so don’t get used to it” Elizabeth says happy. Her scars have healed, and no new injuries have emerged.

“Peace by Upon you Wildcard. We saved you some cake.” Odiya says offering you a piece of the earlier cake. It is the section that said “Sex” on it. You eat the cake as they check in on you.

You ask what this is about.

“Odiya wants me to learn the ways of modern combat. She wants you to teach me.” Elizabeth explains.

You nod. Sure beats serving as a therapist, plus you had hoped Elizabeth would modernize her combat style.

“I am unable to leave the space between dream and reality, but Elizabeth can. I need you to teach her the ways of current combat so that she might better save the Wildcards” Odiya explains further.

You nod again. You figured Odiya was stuck hear. Though you wonder why Elizabeth is unbound. You ask.

“Since I attained the power of a true Wildcard more then a century ago, I can use my power more effectively in Real-Space. Odiya, and other attendants, do not have this privilege.” Elizabeth explains.

You ask if you can bring your friends to help teach Elizabeth.

“That would be wise child” Odiya says nodding.

You hear a rumble in real-space as you finish your cake.

“Go in peace child. We will contact you in your dreams when the times are right.” Odiya says

“Toodles, Sensei!” Elizabeth says.

You give a “See you 2 later” and wake up to the sound of a priority message vibrating on your Omni-tool.

It is from Citadel University. It is one of welcoming, ahead of the proper school year tomorrow. It recommends finding group chats for classes and other things you have already done. It also contains a finalized detail of your schedule and recommended tools you should get for class.

Another non-priority message from your parents, saying Zail sent them a recording of your time at AAA, and them saying they are impressed. You send them a thank you.

You get up and do your routine. Every but Michal is busy. The Exorcists with an Incident, and Lili with child-sitting.

You find Michal studying on the kitchen table, ahead of school. You decide to join him. The 2 of you wordlessly study together for about 3 hours until lunch time. You play games together for a bit after, and then return to studying until dinner. You 2 eat as people start returning home.

Lili returns after dinner, looking tired but satisfied. She says that today is a big day at The Little Death, students wanting one last party before school, so the guards and sex workers were busy, meaning their kids needed watching. Lili says Inanna helped as well with the child-sitting.

Michal asks if she gets paid for this, which initially offends Lili, but she corrects herself because she remembers Michal is ignorant.

“In Asari friend groups, to watch out for friend’s children is considered a high honor.” She explains

Michal understands and returns to studying.

The Exorcists return, looking a bit battle weary. Zail says some gits tried to illegally awaken Persona talent with a stolen Evoker and unleashed a sizable collective shadow on a nearby colony. This required him, Xan, and Kinney. Freya had to go in to work all day because the Counicl wanted to do a sweep of potential Shadow threats in response to some gits doing dumb shit on the nearby colony.

You all head to bed. School is tomorrow for you and Michal.

**End of Prologue. **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why did I have Elizabeth take up home-nudism? 
> 
> Felt right.


	32. School Days Arc: Beginings and Bonds.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You bond with Jane after class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hc that the Citadel works off an 8 day work week.  
The days are nicknamed by humans:
> 
> Religion Day (A day where the religious usually take off.)
> 
> Peace Day (beginning of most work weeks)
> 
> Hope Day (Tuesday Analog???)
> 
> Wisdom Day (Because a lot of tech jobs and similar jobs take this day off)
> 
> Love Day (Day a lot of media like streaming services shows come out)
> 
> Victory Day (End of most work weeks, Friday analog)
> 
> Party Day (Day where most party, or at least hold celebrate)
> 
> Worker’s Day (Day many Union workers have off)

You get up early and do your routine. You check messages and the Exorcists will be out today doing paperwork from yesterday’s incident, Lili is doing her dance class, and you and Michal have school. Classes begin in an hour and a bit. It is a Hope Day.

You learn that Michal has 5 days of classes out of the 8-day work week but chose similar days of to you. He has classes Peace Day, Hope Day, Wisdom Day, Love Day, and Victory day. You have classes Hope Day, Wisdom Day, Love Day, and Victory day. You coordinate some days to have together during your off-days while you 2 eat.

You learn Jane does 4 days like you but chose to have classes on Religion Day and have Wisdom Day off. They say they lead an interesting life though, unpredictable, but will contact you when available.

You get messages from the Exorcists after you send them your final schedule. They say that the last few weeks for all except Xan was technically a vacation time, so they will be busy again. They will contact you when they can hang out.

You get a group message from Zail. “Dudes, I have reserved spots once a month on Party Day for AAA. I want to train those days if we can. This mostly goes for Michal and Makoto, but I want to help you 2 fight better. I would prefer you go with a team of three, so please bring another Exorcist or an ally with you. No pressure, since another Exorcist can use the day even if we don’t”

You and Michal send an agreement, which gets some thumbs up emojis from Zail.

With messages out of the way, you head off to school with time to spare via cab. 

The place is pact. You see many humans there this time, most like Michal attending the “hard sciences”. Michal and you part ways promising to see each other soon. Michal grabs a sky-bus with a bunch of other students to the school of medicine.

You here a voice behind you in English, “Hey Makoto” you see Jane approach you as you turn around.

You great them with a mutually firm handshake, not quite yet bonded enough with them for a hug, but a handshake after some good private online-chat time is a solid gesture.

“Want go to class together?” They ask and you agree. You grab a 2-seat sky-bike and head off to your room.

You talk briefly. They are taking this class because they want to explore the world outside of violence, which you say is relatable. They also said they read your paper on Memes and they said it is good, to which you thank them.

You arrive to class with time to spare. The class is made of Asari of various ages, some Salarians, a Turian and a Drell. 

You take your preferred seat near the back of the class near the door. Jane grabs one in-front of the class.

Professor Bob the Salarian comes in and gives greeting. He explains the basics such as class schedule and plans, rules of conduct and similar. You have heard these speeches before, but you still pay attention.

The class goes on for 2 hours and Bob is a brilliant teacher you think. He explains the basics of Sociology, how some of the different cultures view the science of society and how different interpretations intersect. You were fully engaged, though Bob tended not to ask for questions, a trait he apologized for at the end of class. He says that he got so caught up in his words that he forgot to ask questions for today.

When he wraps up class, Jane asks you if you want to hang out during lunch, to which you agree.

It is their only class today, while you have Lessons of Diplomacy after lunch. You talk over food, you grabbing noodles and fried varren (the later you have developed a fondness for) from the cafeteria while Jane takes out what look like military rations from their bag. You question this to which they respond they have digestive allergies to a lot of alien food, but the MREs of the Alliance tend to be safe for them.

You recognize the rations from what your parents would pack for trips, like camping. They disgusted you and were part of the reason you did not want to be a solider. You leave the topic be, as not wanting to offend a new friend.

They ask you about how you joined the Exorcists. You ask how they know you are part of the Exorcists, to which they respond with “I read your public profile, and it says you live at the K’Zal house, aka the Exorcist crash-pad. Aside from Lili, they tend to only allow non-Exorcists stay their long term.” They say.

You nod, and give the fabricated story Zail told you tell, and then say the truth of why you live at the K’Zal house, that Zail was so grateful for being saved, he invited you and Michal to live with the K’Zals, and made you reserve Exorcists (sort of).

“Interesting.” Jane says. “Sorry if that was to personal a question”

You respond it was fine, but you then ask in exchange, why don’t you tell me a personal thing similar?

“Fair is fair. I am a former Marine, details classified but I was part of a mission gone wrong which disillusioned me to the whole “violence” thing. I am now trying to find a new path” Jane explains.

You nod. You figured something about them was classified.

You leave each others’ secrets be for now, and eat in silence, but you feel a bond with Jane. A similar goal, and similar heart.

PING!

_“Thou Art I and I am Thou”  
“Thou Hast Formed A New Bond”_

_“These Are The Bonds That Shall Change The Galaxy”_

_“You Have Awakened The Power of the Hanged Arcana” _

Jane gets a private text and says “I should go” while you realize that your class is soon. The 2 of you agree to make this a regular thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes Jane is exactly who you think they are.


	33. School Days Arc: Lovers (but not that kind of Lovers)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You save a Quarian from bigots.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small chapter because I got struck with inspiration.

You sky-bike to Lessons of Diplomacy. The class is a bit more diverse this time, 4 other humans, 8 Asari of various ages, 6 Salarians, a Batarian refugee and 3 Turians.

It is an ok glass you guess. The Asari matron teacher, Oria I’Viv did a quick lesson establishing the basics, wrapping up 30 minutes early because she was called by her daughter needing help.

You leave the room and decided to wander the Campus on foot. Michal has a longer class, so you would meet him at home.   
  


The hallways are empty mostly, given a lot of the classes were still going on. You hear slurs in English nearby though and go to investigate.

You see 2 humans, wearing the colors of the Terra Firma organization, harassing a Quarian woman verbally. The quarian seems to be trying to ignore them, but the bigots seem to be escalating.

You rush in calling the Terra Firma gits out, hurling your own favored insults. You use your omni-tool to take a photo before they fully see you. When they notice you, they back off when they see your bulk and run away.

As you report the bigots via omni-tool to school security, the quarian approaches you.

“I could have dealt with them. Plus now if there is an investigation I will have to take time out of my busy schedule to give a report” She says.

You apologize and say you kind of acted on instinct. It is what your mother would have wanted you to do.

“Well I guess there is not wanting to disappoint your mother. I am Vivi’Xena nar Hedron” She says extending a hand.

You give your name of Makoto Lee. You shake hands.

“Given you seem now dead-set on protecting me, why don’t you hang around me until I leave for my dorm. Those Bosh'tets will probably be back” Vivi says.

You agree.

You talk about your classes. Vivi is an actress but has an interest in psychology as well. She uses acting to pay for her school, in hopes of becoming a proper therapist and teacher for the Quarian Flotilla. You talk about your goals of being a diplomat, but your current role as a reserve Exorcist.

“Interesting. Want to exchange contact info? You seem like a person worth hanging out with” Vivi says.

You agree and you exchange contact info and part ways.

You head off back to the K’Zal house.


	34. School Days Arc: Choice of Fools and Wizards

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You plan future meetings and hang out with Michal.

When you get back home you have a longer game session with your game buddy, Infiltrait0rN7. It is an intense session, after which they ask for a private chat. You agree, and you talk about school. They say they were military soon after graduating High School, but they would be interested in Uni if they ever decided to retire from Military. You talk about your experiences in Uni, and they say they are more interested now.

Lili calls you to dinner, and you say good day to your buddy. They say “Play with you later”.

Lili and you talk about food mostly over dinner, and then the subject shifts to school as Michal arrives home. Lili says she always was interested in classes and tried Uni after Zail and Xan took over financially but finds volunteering around the community more fulfilling.

Michal is satisfied with his class selection. He is ready for the challenges. He mentions that he has class over earlier tomorrow, around the same time you have class over, and would like to hang out with you then. 

You agree which makes Michal happy. He is tired for now, so he just wants to watch streaming shows in his room before bed.

You have a walk around the neighborhood again after dinner, and do some chatting with your groups after you get back.

When you fall asleep, you request of Odiya some demons to beat up. She provides and you imagine those demons with the faces of those you harassed Vivi. When you fuse the captured energies of them, it produces a Quarian trickster spirit known as a “Kal’Tet”. It is a debuff specializer.

**Wisdom Day**

When you wake and do your routine, you get a message from Vivi. She says the school is not pursuing the Terra Firma gits, saying the photo was not good enough to ID the bigots. She figures they are lying because they do not care about Quarians. This disappoints you. She does say she is free on Religion day and would like to hang out then. You agree, and she sends a Quarian smilly emoji.

You find Michal has left already for his Lab class but find Freya and Zail eating. As you chat with them, you learn Freya wants to hang out tonight, while Zail wants to hang out Victory Day. You agree to both and head off to school.

You class today is a long block of cross-cultural Literature/Media. The teacher is an Elcor, who’s English name is Roger. The class is actually interesting. Roger communicates mostly via text, rather then speaking. He tlaks when he wants to clarify things. He assigns readings you plan on doing tonight.

You find Michal in the cafeteria, like he said he would be. He is eating some pizza and offers you some he saved. You take some and you chat.

“Makoto guess what? My future niblings are stable. The pregnancy is guaranteed and apparently it will be twins!” Michal says.

You congratulate him, his sisters and the Ivanovs as a whole. You then ask if it is ok to ask a personal question.

“What is friendship, but weird personal questions had over Pizza. Shoot” Michal responds.

You ask why not take classes on Earth, where they have similar programs, and be with family? Why come all the way to the Citadel?

“To be honest, my family still kind of pressures me to join the Earth’s anti-Shadow divisions. Most of them respect my decision to be a doctor, but my extended family is still a bit weirded out by my choice.” He explains. “Plus I did earn my way into the most prestigious University in the Galaxy, so might as well leave Earth.” He follows.

You nod in understanding. Your extended family on you dad’s side, a military family, also questioned your choice to become a diplomat.

“A family. Can’t live without them.” he says.

You also point out the irony of both of you becoming reserve Exorcists. Him joining an Anti-Shadow division, you join a military, even as reserves.

“True, but we still have choice” Michal responds. “We are not technically on Exorcist payroll, and Zail said there was no pressure to become full Exorcists.”

You agree to this. You offer a fist bump to which he gives.

PING!

_Your Bond With Magician Arcana Has Grown._ **Level 3.**

Michal gets beep on his Omni-tool, saying he has a meet up with some of his new school buddies for a study group. He heads off, with a see you later. You return the “see you later” and remember you have a meeting with Freya to go to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short, but this is a conversation I wanted to happen between Makoto and Michal. Choice is an important theme of this story.


	35. School Days Arc: Lesbian Sun.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Freya has words with you.

You go via cab to the location Freya tells you to go for the hang-out. She says while not an urgent meeting, she feels it is important.

It is near the Eclor cultural center, a private booth restaurant. You have a feeling what this will be about.

You get a text from her that she is inside the restaurant.

It is a restaurant dedicated to the Sapphics of the Galaxy, called the Empress Flower. A safe place for the WLW and WLNB of the Galaxy. You notice an MLM equivalent next door, called the Iron Hammer. You checked the history of both restaurants, and they were founded by the same Queer Galactic Collective called “The Strange-Love”.

You enter, making note to come here again on better terms. The building is covered in art celebrating the love of women, and the cross-cultural crossover of many ways of loving women is fascinating. Perhaps you will bring Inanna here when you woo her? You also note to check out the Iron Hammer later, probably with Michal or Zail. You also note Jane would probably enjoy both.

You notice Freya near the back. She waves to you. You approach. You get some looks as you walk through, half wondering why you are here, the others gazing with lust. You care little for the stares and move forward.

You sit across from Freya and she activates the booths “hidden mode” allowing you to talk in private.

“Neutral: Sorry for taking you out this way. I felt it was important though” She says.

You say you do not mind, and you have been meaning to explore these restaurants for a while. You say you find them interesting as a queer individual and as a person interested in overlap of cultures.

“Happily: Good To Know. It Was Here I Met Lili And My Other Girlfriends, And We Come Here Often. Good Times” she says.

Good to know you say.

“Seriously: My Contacts Within The Specter Intel Networks Say Saren Has Abandoned His Pursuit Of You And Zail. He Is Focusing On The Cult Of Truth, For He Suspects Them Of Being The Ones To Attack Zail That Day” Freya explains.

Good to know, you say.

“Neutral: Maybe, But I Still Feel…. Guilty And Conflicted. If Wanted Confront Saren, I Would Draw Him Back To You, And He Might Abandon His Work Against The Cult. But He Used Me.” She explains, and you put a hand on her arm.

You tell her not to worry. You and she will deal with his. Saren is a jerk, you say, but if he tries anything with you, or Zail, or even Freya, you will gladly help her confront him. You also once more forgive her.

“Happiness: Glad To Know You Still Forgive Me. Glad To Know I Have Your Support As Well. Come, I Will Buy You Dinner.” She says, deactivating the private mode and summoning waiter drone.

You decide to ask an awkward question, but the setting felt right. You ask if Freya’s exact orientation.

“Casually: By My Cultural Standards, In Common Human Queer Terms, I Am A Femme Lesbian” Freya explains.

“Good for you” you respond, and you decide to even it up by giving your exact orientation. 

A waiter bot arrives with your food and you talk of the cultural standards of Loving Women in different cultures.

PING!

_Your Bond With The Sun Arcana Has Grown._ **Level 3.**

You both return to the K’Zal house. Freya gives Lili a kiss, and you decide to do your readings in your room.

When you dream, you request of Odiya a Turian Spirit, a demonic one, for you to beat up. Odiya manifest one, and you defeat it, pretending it is Saren. When you defeat it you decide to sacrifice it to add to Enterprise’s power.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Empress Flower and The Iron Hammer will be recurring locations. 
> 
> This is closest description for the looks of Jane and Makoto I will give at this time. They would not look out of place in a lesbian bar, and they would not look of place in a gay bar. That and both are muscular.


	36. School Days Arc: Bond with Bob.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have a talk with Bob, and later go to the Archives with Xan.

**LOVE DAY**

You awaken from a night of beating-up illusion Saren and do your routine. You check messages and find everyone is out today except Xan who wants to take you to the Citadel Public Archives today after school. You agree, and they send an Asari smile emoji.

You grab breakfast with Michal, and you head off. You talk about video games and streaming shows on the way there.

You head to Cross-Culture Sociology class, and Bob welcomes you all once more. The topic was largely following up on ideas introduced last class, mostly about how cultures intersect. He was better about asking questions to the class and letting the class answer this time, and you even got a few decent questions in.

You try to talk to Jane, but they say they have something after class and will talk to you later. Bob calls you over about something. You agree and ask him what it is about.

“I just wanted to say I loved your paper on cross-culture memes. Excellent stuff.” He says.

You thank him. You ask if that was all.

“I wanted to ask about some of the finer points of the paper. I have a couple follow up questions, if that is not too much.” He asks, to which you say is fine.

You talk with Bob about the details of the paper, such as inspirations for it that you forgot to mention on the paper itself. You want to talk more, because he is a good talker, but you begin to get hungry and ask to be excused.

“Oh, I must apologize. Kept you around to long. Go ahead and eat. We can talk later” Bob responds.

You leave thanking him for the talk and saying you would love to talk more.

You get a message from Michal asking where you are, to which you respond having a nice chat with the teacher. Michal asks if that is a euphemism for something which you say no, You and he were just talking about Memes. Michal understands and logs off.

You get to the cafeteria and using K’Zal money buy some Mac and Cheese, along with a Thessian Vegetable Salad and some fruit juice. You do a bit of studying while you wait for your next class to begin.

Miss I’Viv as she likes to be called teaches an interesting class. She uses history a bunch as reference for the importance of Diplomacy. She asks awkward questions sometimes, but if no one else answers you try to, even if you got the answer wrong. The class goes smoothly.

You leave and get a text from Vivi, saying the bigots have moved on from her. You say good with a thumbs-up emoji, and she replies with another smile emoji.

You head to the Citadel Public Archives via cab. Xan texts you their location and you mark it on your Omni-tool map. You wander the Ward a bit and find them waiting for you at the Archive Entrance.

They do a happy flap and drag you in. The telepathically say that you do not need to worry about paying since this section is more akin to a Library, and free to the public.

You ask if they meant for you to bring Michal, to which they say they intend to take Michal on Peace Day, to which Michal has agreed to.

You wander around the archive. The section is dedicated to technology across the ages of all Cultures. You are fascinated at the analogs and overlap of different cultures and Xan is in your mind info-dumping about nearly everything, especially the stuff they helped study/archive. Their enthusiasm is infectious.

You get to a section dedicated to video games and Xan goes all-in with excitement. They get you to play various games from across Citadel Space. They are just so enthused, and you see why.

They start to get tired from Persona-Telepathy used, and they sign that they kind of want to stop.

As you wander out, you ask why they took just you today and not Michal, or have you come with Michal.

They sign that they have a crush on Michal. They want to use you as a test run so they can better interact with Michal. They do not want to approach Michal romantically yet; it is not their way. They would prefer to establish a better friendship with Michal first, get to know him better, before making a bold move.

You say you understand. You offer to teach your experience in courting human men over a dinner.

They agree, and you have a nice dinner with them.

PING!

_Your Bond With Fortune Arcana Has Grown._ **Level 3.**

You both return home and find Michal wanting to play video games. You take turns getting you ass kicked in fighting games by Xan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tbh expect a lot of short chapters that detail one or two S-links until the ME1 intersection. I have a lot of ground to cover.


	37. School Days Arc: Memories of the Dead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zail wants to show you something. He needs to bond with you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can Asari show memories via bonding? IDK My canon now, but it sound like something they can do.

**Victory Day**

You get up and do your routine, and check messages.

You confirm with Zail about you meeting him today. He says he wants to meet at the “Garden of Plenty” green house. You check the location’s history and learn it is a public garden that contains plants from across the galaxy, specializing in food plants.

Freya and Kinney are checking in with their agents. Xan is doing archive work. Michal is doing a study session with other medical student after class. Lili is having a private day.

You head to class after a quick breakfast.

Literature/Media is still engaging. After doing some questions of the assigned material, which you managed to get some right answers in when asked, Roger does some more comparative work of various literature. You learn Asari and Elcor, because of long life span, have similar styles of story telling, with a healthy public domain and an emphasis on adapting classic characters and archetypes into current times.

You leave class and head for your Zail meet. You do a quick stop for some take-out on the way there, but you arrive 10 minutes early anyway. You eat and see Zail arrive, in his casual long coat.

“Hello my good dude. Wanna enter?” He asks. You agree and you enter the Green House.

The facility is large, though not overly busy. Used as both testing ground of new gene-experiments, as well as a seed vault of original plants. Some parts are used to emulate natural environments, said to help some plants grow/live. Some food grown in the garden is sampleable, to which Zail helps himself to.

You ask why he wanted to meet. Not to be rude or anything.

“I come here to think. One of the few places on the Citadel that feels like nature. I should show you the others. To tell the truth, I wanted to do some good thinking with you.” He says.

You ask what he want to think about. He moves you to a private area, a somewhat secluded area in an emulated forest, and sets up a “quite zone” with Biotics and Tech, allowing you not to be overheard.

“My mentor was the mother of the last Asari wildcard, Norra. Omna had to bury her daughter 250 years ago, who many suspect was killed by the Cult of Truth, for what she was, a Wildcard.” He says.

You say that is a lot.

“I know. I am sorry if this is a bit much, but I want to show you Norra’s memories.” Zail says

You ask how he has memories of Norra if Norra was killed before he was even born.

“When Asari bond, even platonically or familial, we can share memories, which as mother and daughter, Omna and Norra did. When Omna learned she was starting to die, she passed on the memories of her daughter to me, so I could show a new Wildcard if one arose. I debated with internally with myself, as well as with Kinney and Freya if this was right, but now that I thought about it, I do want to show you.” Zail explains.

You nod. You had always wanted to meet another mortal Wildcard, and for now this is probably the closest thing you will get for now. You agree to bond with Zail.

“Ok, Close your eyes. I have practiced memory sharing with Kinney, Freya, Mom and Xan, but this is the first time doing it with a human.” Zail explains. He puts his forehead on yours, takes your hands in his and says the magic words.

** _“Embrace Eternity”_ **

_You see through the eyes of someone new. You are 20 years old. You see your mother Omna through the eyes of Norra. You are filled with joy. You are scooped up, and you bond with your mother……._

_You see though these same eyes. You are 100 years old. You learn you are a wildcard. Your mother embraces you as you are overwhelmed with emotion. To calm you, your mother bonds with you, which works……_

_You have your first encounter with Odiya. You marvel at her nude beauty. When you finish fusing your first Persona, you return to the world of material. You are 120 Years old. You want to show mother the Beauty you have seen. You bond to show the most accurate picture……._

_You have completed a mission for the Exorcists. You have completed the Journey of the Fool and are Approaching Judgement. You are 250 years old. You are stressed from all the violence. Your mother offers to bond, to relieve the stress. You agree, and you bond….._

_You have attained The World. The power of a transcendent Persona has been your hands for years. You are 400 years old. You have saved numerous planets. You are on the Citadel, and someone shot you with a Void Bullet, which you could not block with Persona. You have been struck in the heart and lay dying. Your Matriarch Mother weeps and coddles your dying form. You bond with her, to pass a warning to your successor…………_

**“BEWARE THE REAPERS!!!”**

You and Zail are overwhelmed by the bond. You have been bonding for 10 minutes. When you return to reality, Zail’s nose is bleeding, and his eyes are bloodshot. He goes to his knees in tiredness. You ask if he needs medical attention.

“Nah dude I am fine, just need to sit for a few minutes. Gods that was more then I remember absorbing from her….” He says, wiping bloodied nose with a cloth from his pocket.

You ask if he knows what a Reaper is….

“No… and I don’t remember absorbing that part…….” He says.

You say you will bring it up with Odiya next time you dream, and Elizabeth as well.

“Thanks dude. When I get up, I am taking you out to dinner.” He says.

While you wait for him to recover, with the silence bubble still up, you tell Zail of Elizabeth’s mission to save neophyte Wildcards. That there are others like you out there in the Galaxy. He begins to cry.

“I am so fucking Glad……. But I would prefer not to bond like that again.” He says half-jokingly.

You sit next to him and discuss your dreams with him.

PING!

_Your Bond With Emperor Arcana Has Grown._ **Level 3.**

When his eyes stop being bloodshot, he takes you to a nice fusion place nearby, that uses food from the Garden of Plenty in its meals.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First mention of The Reapers. 
> 
> Boy howdy will yall need to Beware them.


	38. School Days Arc: Nostalgia and Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You dream of a Goddess Bound By Chains.

You return to the K’Zal house with Zail. He heads to bed, while Kinney asks you what happened.

You say Zail showed you memories the of Norra and Omna. Kinney nods in understanding. She had been wondering when Zail would do that. She asks you what you think, to which you respond you are going to sleep on it.

Kinney asks if you are free tomorrow. You say you are. She offers to head to one of the parks that Zail likes, where she and Zail had their first real Date. You agree.

You go to bed and do some light reading to help you sleep. You here the Aria from Everywhere and Nowhere as you drift off, calling to Odiya.

You see her as you manifest on the couch, Odiya.

“Peace be Upon you Wildcard” she says, waving greetings as she lounges.

You give your greeting in return. You ask about her time with Norra, and Odiya begins to look nostaligic.

“Oh Norra. I miss her. She was the last active Asari Wildcard, and the previous of my Guests. She should be in this world still, but she was taken from us to soon. Damned Cult” Odiya looks grim at the last words, almost like she is about to cry. 

You approach Odiya and lay a comforting hand on her shoulder. She accepts and places her hand on yours.

“Thank you, Makoto. It has been centuries, and I have seen plenty of Wildcards die, some even in my arms, but Norra’s death came to a shock, to me and Citadel space. She was so wonderful. Saved world after world.” Odiya looks better. You jokingly say “No Pressure On Me? Right?”, which gets a laugh out of Odiya.

You say where you learned of Norra via the memories she stored in Omna, who in turn stored them in Zail. You remember something of “The World” and a transcended Persona.

“There are Persona that can only be attained at the Climaxes of your Journey or acquired at the peak of a bond with your Social Link. These are Persona that normally cannot be fused until then. The mightiest of these Persona are of The World Arcana.” Odiya explains. “To Attain The World is to become fully realized. These Persona are mighty, but costly to use in Real-Space”

You understand. You ask about “Reapers”?

Odiya, looks shocked, and begins to talk, but then a spectral chain binds her throat chocking her. She begins to panic, and you summon Enterprise and try and use it and your strength to break the chain.

The chains resist your attempts to shatter them, but then Odiya casts a spell on herself, and the chain disappears.

“I am more bound then I thought…” She explains.

You begin to ask what the hell happened, why “Reapers” is a trigger word, but she uses magic to bind your mouth before the words escape.

“Child, I cast a spell to make me forget the word you spoke to me that caused me distress. Do Not Speak It.” Odiya says sternly.

You nod, and Odiya unbinds your mouth.

“I am sorry Wildcard. There are things that bind me that I am still searching the cause for. Elizabeth asked me something similar, and not even she could break the chain.” Odiya explains.

Speaking of, you ask where Elizabeth is?

“She is rescuing a Wildcard in the Attican areas. A Salarian girl taken by humans. She should be back by Peace Day” Odiya explains.

You nod.

“Makoto. Norra gave you such a wonderful gift. Makes me nostalgic for her. I would recommend doing research on her, and Omna. They were mighty Persona users and should be emulated.” Odiya says.

You agree.

“Go, Child, and be Mighty” Odiya says.

You feel your bond with Odiya grow.   
  


Ping!

_Your bond with the Temperance Arcana has Grown._ **LEVEL 3.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lotta mention of these "Reapers". 
> 
> I wonder if they will be important?


	39. School Days Arc: Priestess's Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kinney invites you to a Garden and talks about her past.

**PARTY DAY**

You awaken from Odiya’s realm and do your routine. You record the info in your journal.

You check messages. Zail is still feeling a bit off from yesterday and is having a slow day today, mostly playing his comfort games in his room. Kinney wants to meet you after lunch at “Ever-Bloom Park”. Michal is doing a regular health check-up, along with a bit of studying and gaming. Xan is playing a game with their group, but says they want to play with Michal later. Lili and Freya are doing a day-trip.

You have breakfast and talk with Michal before he leaves for the doctor. You talk about Velvet Rooms, how his ancestor met and was mentored by one named “Margret”. He sends you a copy of his ancestor’s journal, which he got a copy of recently digitally. He tells you not to leak it, which you swear blood-oath in agreement. 

He is satisfied. He finishes, cleans up, and heads to the doctor.

Lili and Freya head out, saying they want to go to a nearby garden world for a day trip, mostly to visit that world’s famous Zoo.

Kinney heads off for something she needs to do at her office but says she will meet you at the park later. You agree again.

Xan… does not come out of their room.

You go to the big TV and play with Infiltrait0rN7 for a bit. Towards the end of the session, before you log off to have lunch, they ask you something privately.

“What does your name mean?” they ask.

You respond that the NB means non-binary, you consider yourself Man, Woman and Something More. Wildcard is in-reference to your infinite potential as a person.

“Fascinating. I just like N7s and Infiltrating. How did you realize you were Non-binary?”

You say it is because you related to a NB relative deeply, and when you thought about your gender identity, it just clicked.

“Interesting. Perhaps I shall think about my own Identity as well. Catch you later”

It feels good to help a potential trans person out. Even if they don’t come to the conclusion they are trans, gender identity exploration is good.

PING!

_“Thou Art I and I am Thou”  
“Thou Hast Formed A New Bond”_

_“These Are The Bonds That Shall Change The Galaxy”_

_“You Have Awakened The Power of the Hermit Arcana” _

You better make sure your gaming buddy sees a therapist. They seem chill though.

You have a good-sized lunch and head out.

The park is a vertical one. Like the green houses, it is built upwards, layers of gardens stacked on each other for the Citadel public to have some green space, or what ever color of plant that grows. These are meant for walking around, and casual play of sports for children or those child at heart. “Ever-Bloom” this one is called because there is always a plant that is blooming.

You arrived early, but Kinney is here already. “Hey Makoto” she says, calling you into the park.

It is a lovely facility. Plants from across the Galaxy, and plants that only exist in the facility because of cross-breading, thrive here. Various pollinators, both drone and living, buzz around. Children and others play games on the fields and others walk through gardens.

You ask Kinney why she brought you here.

“What, can’t a girl bring a good friend somewhere nice?” she says.

You say “oh, ok,” and focus on the gardens.

“Ok in all seriousness, I need to ask you something important” she says.

You say you figured.

She takes you to a secluded area and sets up a silence zone. “I got my Persona because of a job gone wrong. It was a mission to prove I was Specter worthy, but something leaked my presence. It was a job to assassinate a leader of the “Cult of Truth”, but since someone leaked, I was captured and hit with a truth bomb, forced to face my Shadow. Zail, one of the people assigned to watch over the mission, saved me, helped me defeat my Shadow, and earn Persona. This is where we met.” She explains

You sit in silence, but you nod in understanding.

“Zail is always protective of me because he loves me, and I love him. But I find that, when I get in trouble, especially after we got married, he gets a bit to much trying to protect me.” She explains

You nod in understanding. You say you guess you are similar, given how much you 2 are equals.

“Oh yes, but I prefer quick and subtle to Zail’s… bombast. Look, the person who leaked the mission might have surfaced again, and I want you to help me capture or kill her, depends on my mood.” She explains.

You agree, but why not a full Exorcist?

“Zail would cut a bloody path to find her and it would cause so much collateral damage for nothing but a rumor. Freya and Xan would report to Zail, which would lead to the same thing. Michal lacks the experience, and I want to keep this small so no Exorcist squads, plus she has a Persona and few the Specters with Persona I trust and/or would work with me. Your ability as a Wildcard could prove invaluable in capturing or killing her. Again, her surfacing again is a rumor on the Council’s intel networks and my Contacts, so do not get excited, but if she does surface again, I might need you.” She says. “Don’t worry, I can make it worth your while”

You say you do not exactly want for much for now, but you agree to help her.

“Thanks Makoto. And trust me, You would be surprised what someone with underworld contacts can do” She says.

“You have underworld contacts?” you ask

She jokingly shushes you and disables the Silence Zone. She offers to take you to another restaurant she likes, this one a burger joint. You agree, but you wander around the park together for another hour.

_Your Bond With Priestess Arcana Has Grown._ **Level 3.**

When you return home, you feel tired suddenly. You say you have been active everyday when Kinney asks, to which she says go to bed early. You agree, given your LL meeting tomorrow. Kinney goes to check in with Zail and you wander to your room.

You collapse in bed.

_You dream, but not of an Aria, but a Battle Hymn. You see Elizabeth with a stolen pistol carrying an infant Salarian. They are rushing to a closing gate, to return to her ship. The Brand of Cerberus is everywhere in the building. Shots fire towards Elizabeth, blocked by her book’s magic, but they are getting more intense. Elizabeth summons Thanatos to launch a Magic attack and takes random shots with her pistol back at her assailants. She gets to the gate and it seals shut. She is bleeding from gun shot wounds, but they heal, albeit slowly. Her magic is being taxed too much. She looks at the child and the child is crying, but is otherwise fine, wrapped in a bullet-proof blanket of Velvet Room design. She enters her ship and flies off to deliver the child back to the Salarians. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Elizabeth development SOON!!!


	40. School Days Arc: Complicated Relationships

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CW: Drugs, getting high and complicated parents. 
> 
> Lili takes you to The Field of Dreams.

**Worker’s Day**

You awaken suddenly as Elizabeth’s ship leaves the hangar bay of the Cerberus Base. You immediately try and fall back asleep, to see if you can contact her or Odiya. It is no use; you are to well rested.

You do your routine and check messages.

Michal is doing a gaming tournament with Xan and will meet you after your meeting at the Local Leftists is done. Lili wants to take you to her favored Garden, “The Dream Fields”, in the evening before sleep time, and you agree. Freya is doing a day with her other girlfriends. Zail and Kinney are doing a day together at a nearby Turian colony, a History Museum.

You get changed and do some reading for class before your meeting.

When time to leave comes, you grab your pistol and knife and head off for the mall.

You arrive on time and get scanned in. You take your seat. Inanna comes in with her daughter Lili, who takes a seat in the corner and watches animal videos on her Omni-tool. You smile since you have been there.

“Greetings everyone. The simultaneous strike action taken by the dockworkers and other unions has led to the dockworkers among others getting their desired outcome. The guilty Company is getting sued by union and Citadel government. Excess money from the pool has been donated to verified charities. A win for Worker’s Rights!” Inanna says with a bit of a cheer, which rouses the Leftists.

“I will have to cut this meeting a bit short today since my usual child-sitters are busy today, and my daughter has a project she needs to do for school.” Inanna explains.

Despite the shorter meeting, things got done. New members, interested in joining given the recent victories, were given the time to be screened and given membership. Most were Salarians and Batarian Refugees, but another Krogan and a few humans also joined.

When Inanna wrapped up, she invites you to talk at the food court. You grab food, this time fried varren and some pasta in a rosé sauce. Inanna grabs some Asari sautéed vegetables with some Thessian bird meat and the Asari rice analog. Kid-Lili grabs chicken tenders and Thessian vegetable fries.

“Do you know why adult-Lili is not here today? I called her to sit for my Lili?” Inanna asks.

You say you are meeting Lili tonight before sleep time, but otherwise she did not post her location. You offer to check in with Freya or Zail.

“Oh… The Dream Fields…. Never mind. I know what she is doing…. One Of THOSE Days” Lili says with mild despair, Kid-Lili puts her hand on her mother’s arm, trying to comfort Inanna.

You begin to ask what The Dream Fields are but get distracted by a new voice.

“The Dream Fields? I know who you are talking about. Still friends with that Omega slave-trash?” A voice and Asari you recognize from the local news as Karra N’Aa. She is outspoken in her contempt for “low lives” and is a local politician, same rank as Inanna. She is skinnier then Inanna, lacks the muscle as well. She dresses more conservatively then most Asari you have seen.

“Karra, If You Insult My Friends Again…” Inanna says, flaring with biotic power. Kid-Lili backs off, like she has seen this before. You feel a twitch in yourself, an urge to activate Enterprise, but you resist.

“Fine, Fine, Calm your Tits. I just came to congratulate you on your “Local Leftists” Victory” Karra says

“Karra I know you had stakes in the Company that caused the deaths of those people. I know you feel more contempt for me. What is this really about?” Inanna says, hands near pistols. You keep quiet, sensing now is not your place.

“Fine. The Local Mayor is planning on retiring. I just received word. I am going to be running and would like to tell you not to run. It would be unpleasant for us to run against each other.” Karra says, voice dripping with contempt.

“I was thinking of running, but Now I Am Guaranteed.” Inanna says, once more flaring biotic energy. Eyes of the Crowd are coming towards your group.

“Unfortunate…. Don’t make an embarrassment like the last time you tried to run” Karra says. She wanders off.

You ask what Inanna’s relationship is to Karra is.

“I don’t want to talk about her.” Inanna says.

“They are Exes. Bad break-up” Lili says.

Oof, you say.

“Child, Stars of my Life. My Mind, Soul and Flesh, Please Do Not Reveal My Secret.” Inanna says.

“They were going to find out eventually. It is not exactly a secret.” Kid-Lili says, finishing the last tender on her plate and turning on Omni-tool, this time to watch cartoons.

You ask if you can help.

“Not now… but thank you. I…. Am Not In The Mood To Talk.” Inanna says.

You get a text from Michal asking where you are. You say you got to go, which Lili accepts, saying see you later. You bring your food with you and leave. Kid-Lili waves you goodbye.

Michal and Xan are still playing, but they invite you in, saying there is an open spot in the casual games.

You play in the tournament for 3 hours, using game to distract yourself. Xan wins all around, but you and Michal place respectfully. 

You feel your bond grow closer with the 2, but not enough for something more.

You ask Xan what The Dream Fields are, and they look uncomfortable, almost ashamed.

Michal explains. “The Dream Fields are a mix of nudist park, something most cultures develop ,and “drug zone” where certain drugs are taken safely, a Turian custom that got popular. The Dream Fields specialize in hallucinogens and relaxants, mainly ones grown in the park. I have been meaning to try it but have not had the time.”

Xan uses telepathy to speak to you 2 privately. “Do not react. Those fields are where Mother met my father. It is the anniversary of them meeting…… How Could I Have Been So Stupid, I Got So Hyped For Video Games…. Zail Forgot As Well… .” Xan looks like they are about to break down crying, and Michal comforts them.

“I will get Xan home. You check on Lili at the Fields.” Michal goes into command mode and you nod in agreement. You summon a cab while Michal takes Xan to Xan’s car.

When you grab cab, Michal texts you. “Lili will be on the third level, near the back window. It is where she and Tanith met. Xan says Lili tries and goes to the Fields three times a year. Once to commemorate her meeting Tanith, once to mourn his departure back to the Flotilla, once to mourn his death. Xan…. Does Not Approve, and usually convinces their mother not to go. Xan has a… complicated relationship to Tanith and does not approve of the way Lili honors him.”

You get a text from Freya. “Michal has informed me Lili has gone to the Dream Fields…. I blame myself. I should have remembered it was one of those days. Call me if she is overly drugged up. I have helped her detox the last time she went there.” You send confirmation that you got the text.

You get a text from Kinney. “Michal told me. Zail is…. Irked. I am keeping him contained on the colony. When you find Lili, try and verbally knock sense into her.”

You arrive at The Dream Fields. A hippy looking Turian manager requests of you to remove clothing to enter, even though you say you are just picking up a friend. You begrudgingly do so.

The Fields are like where you met with Kinney yesterday. Only replace kids playing football with drug users lying about nude. Some Turian, Some Asari, Some Human, a Krogan and an Elcor you spot on your way to Lili’s location.

You spot her, nude in lounging on a hammock in the back. She is smoking marijuana. You check with Freya if that counts as “overly drugged up” to which says no, it is an improvement if that is all she was using. Freya asks you to check if that is all she is using.

You approach Lili.

“Hey Makoto. Want some weed? You humans invented some nice drugs.” Lili says. You check your Omni-tool and learn that Weed has a milder impact on Asari then it does humans. Lili is probably acting Higher than she actually is.

You say that Lili made Xan cry and that Zail is….. Irked apparently. Freya blames herself and Kinney… Is keeping Zail contained.

“Damn. I was hoping to keep this between us. I do not come here to honor him. Not anymore. I come here on my private days as well. I even forgot it was one of those days. Seriously you have got to try this stuff.” Lili says offering joint.

You get confused. Xan said that Lili comes to honor Tanith.

“I stopped doing that after a really nasty trip. Freya probably mentioned she had to detox me. I stopped honoring him then. I miss him but like…. I don’t Honor him anymore. All I do is weed and sometimes some mild hallucinogens if I have the tomorrow off.” Lili explains.

You text this info to the rest. Xan… Texts they want to talk to their mother. Michal asks of the weed quality. Zail…… is still pissed but is calming down. Kinney is helping Zail calm down.

“I saved him from a drugged up Turian, Tanith. Right over there.” Lili points to a section of the garden. “He used to work here to pay for some Eezo and the like, for his pilgrimage. We started dating then. Few years later, I had Xan. He left when Xan was ten, the need to return to the Flotilla.”

You say ok. You listen, taking the joint from her. You extinguish it.

“Xan has complicated feelings for him. Talks with their therapist about it. Zail swore an oath of vengeance against Tanith, for making Xan cry, but Tanith was killed in a Pirate attack against the Flotilla a year later.” Lili further explains.

“I used to come here to mourn, but then I did a wrong combo of drugs and went really bad. I stopped honoring him then, I took it as a sign from the Gods.” Lili finishes.

You say that is nice. You were live streaming the audio to Xan. Xan texts they are slightly less annoyed but still want to talk.

“You sure you don’t want some weed?” Lili asks. You say you prefer pot-brownies.

“They have those, but I guess I kind of killed your mood for drugs today.” Lili says. “How was your day” She asks

You tell Lili about Inanna, and Karra.

“KARRA IS RUNNING FOR MAYOR!!! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!” Lili screams which awakens some of the guests.

You agree with her anger and say that Inanna is also going to be running for mayor.

“Oh, Goddess I am Gods damn fool. I need to help my friend. Come Makoto. Lets go home. I need to call Inanna to apologize” Lili says, stomping off to the change rooms.

You feel an understanding of Lili more.

PING!

_Your Bond With Strength Arcana Has Grown._ **Level 3.**

Lili lets the VI drive, wisely.

When you get home, Lili begs Xan and Freya forgiveness, with Lili on her knees. They do but point out if Lili just wanted to get high, she should have said so. Xan streamed the begging to Zail, who has calmed down and forgiven Lili, and Kinney is only glad there will not be violence. Inanna also watched the stream and has also forgiven Lili for not responding to the babysitting request. 

Freya and Lili head to their room to work out some details. Xan makes an appointment for their therapist, saying they need to resolve some things with the new info. Michal looks up the quality of weed at The Dream Fields, and says he is going tomorrow, with mild excitement.

Inanna texts you they want to talk tomorrow night at her place, and you book her in. You realize you have 2 dates tomorrow and head off to your room to do some reading for class so you are ready for class properly. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I make Lili too shitty a parent? I intended her to be a bit more out of gourd then bad. 
> 
> She tries, she really does, she is a good mom, but slips up sometimes. 
> 
> The Dream Fields will be a recurring location.


	41. School Days Arc: Scars and Dreams.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You visit Elizabeth in your dreams and talk guns.

You fall asleep after a short bit of class reading.   
  


Sleep takes you and dream of an Aira from Everywhere and Nowhere. You call out to Eilzabeth.

You manifest in her apartment on the Citadel. She is meditating nude, recovering, but you rouse her from her state. She is scarred more heavily then last time you saw her. Her assault on the Cerberus base must have gone worse than you assumed.

“Oh, hello Makoto. Nice of you to drop in.” She says. She stays sitting.

You tell of your dream the previous night. How you saw her save the Salarian child.

“Of course you did, I let you see.” Elizabeth says. “I admittedly wanted you to see me in glorious battle, laying waste to Cerberus goons, but I tripped an alarm and the base was more guarded then Odiya said it would be.”

You ask if the Salarian child is ok.

“Oh of course. I dropped her off on Sur'Kesh with her mother. I Am Amazing.” Elizabeth says.

You say you are glad, but you have an idea that could help. You say you know how to train Elizabeth for modern combat.

“Right. Odiya says all the current potential Wildcards are safe for now. I will do some of your training.” She says.

You tell her you have a day off Peace Day, and to come to the Synapse Nexus, so Xan can get an idea of what equipment to give her.

“Like the Exorcists did you…… Been a while since I got some good game time in. I will gladly pencil you in on Peace Day. Is after lunch ok? I want to eat first.” She says.

You agree.

“Want to see the gun I earned from those Cerberus Bastards? I am proud of it.” She says taking out the pistol from under the pillow she was sitting on.

It is an M-358 Talon, an iconic gun of Cerberus, though plenty of copies have come into the hands of those of who oppose them. You remember seeing a couple in Zail’s pistol collection. Trophies you wonder.

You say it is a nice gun and an amazing accomplishment. You ask if she knows gun maintenance. 

“No sadly. Never been good at keeping up with technology trends, especially for guns. Could you teach me?”

You say yes but you feel a vibration on your arm. A priority message alert.

You ask if later is ok. Elizabeth says yes.

You felt your bond with Elizabeth grow closer, but not enough to trigger anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be Elizabeth's arc for the School Days section. Learning to fight in modern times.


	42. School Days Arc: Choice and Radicals.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You talk about the dangers of right-wing radicalizaiton.

**RELIGION DAY**

You awake and answer the priority call. It is from Kinney and Zail. Zail, Kinney, Freya and Lili are going to the Garden of Dreams, for the first three to see what the hype is about. Michal is also going, but he is going to go at his own pace, rather then with them. Michal has experience with recreational drugs on Earth, so he is going to do his favorites.

Xan is on-stand by and is going to be taking alerts for the Exorcists, coordinating teams if things come up.

This leaves you “alone” though Xan will help you if needed. They are at the Exorcist offices.

You text Xan if they are available to play games Peace Day, to help Elizabeth out. They say yes.

With that out of the way, you do your routine. You find you woke up later then you normally would on a weekend, and everyone else is gone.

You have breakfast quickly and let the maid droids clean up. You cab over to the Presidum where Vivi is waiting. They wait near an embassy building.

You ask why here.

“This used to be the location of the Quarian Embassy before the Council kicked Quarians out of Citadel government. I come here to think. I find the setting oddly… Balancing.” She says.

You ask if she wants to talk about anything, or just hang out.

“Those bigots who harassed me. They are Terra Firma. What do you know of them?” she asks.

You say you know they are a “Human Rights Organization”, advocating humanity to be placed on higher rank of Citadel government. They tend to be right bastards though.

“Right. But why did they harass me. I gather their grudge is with the Council, and the Batarian governments and other similar groups who raid human colonies. Why attack me, who comes from a group who is neither of those things.” Vivi asks.

You say Terra Firma tends to draw those prone to bigotry. You encountered a bunch on Earth, some gits even tried to recruit you when you were in College, but you kicked their asses. You say that because they have a tendency towards bigotry and bias, they absorb cultural bigotry even when it does not benefit them.

“Interesting. You learn this in Sociology and your other diplomat classes?” Vivi asks

Those and your parents doing their best to make sure you did not join such groups. You mention an uncle that fell in with Terra Firma and was arrested for assault on an Asari immigrant. Rather then avoid talking about him, your family learned how easy it could be for people to be radicalized into hate, and taught you and your cousins better.

“Interesting. You gave me a lot to think about. Being Quarian… Is different from being human, but it is interesting seeing the psychological overlap from a psychological point of view.” She says.

You agree. You feel a bond with Vivi.

PING!

_“Thou Art I and I am Thou”  
“Thou Hast Formed A New Bond”_

_“These Are The Bonds That Shall Change The Galaxy”_

_“You Have Awakened The Power of the Lovers Arcana” _

Vivi gets a text from her Omni-tool.

“Drat. My agent says we need to do some reshoots, and would like me to come in. See you later Makoto” Vivi leaves

You give a ‘’see you later” back and wander the Presidium for a bit. You feel good.

You check in on Xan at the Exorcist offices, to see how they are holding up, and find them playing video games. They sign that they are keeping an eye on things, but there is not much else to do. You with wish them well. 

You head to the K’Zal house and grab some gym clothes and head to a gym. You get a good work out in and grab some protein on the way home.

You shower and change into something a bit more formal for your meeting with Inanna. It feels right. You grab a good polo-shirt, nice pants, and a good jacket, plus some good shoes. You also take knife and gun, just in case.

When your timer says go to Inanna, you take cab to her apartment which is nearby. You figure you could walk the distance, provided you took liberal use of Elevators.

You arrive at the apartment. It is more a standard Asari apartment on the Citadel. It is a 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom apartment from the location data.

You are about to buzz in, but Inanna opens the door.

“Hey Makoto. Welcome In” Inanna welcomes you wearing a more casual outfit, sweat-pants and a loose graphic tee with “Cool Mom” on it, which matches one that Lili wears. She carries her SMGs on her belt still, though as you enter and she closes the door, she puts them on a table near the door in a lock-box.

It is a nice place, full of things. You figure Inanna must have had this place for a while, given the stuff she has accumulated just in the living room. You see awards on the wall, photos of family/friends, kid-Lili’s toys, lots of things that indicate a long-used apartment.

You ask how long she has had the place, to which she responds 100 years, after she graduated and got her job in politics, initially as a secretary.

You ask what this is about.

“I apologize for how I acted yesterday… I Got Emotional…. I Am Not Proud.” She says.

You say never apologize for being angry like that. That type of anger, righteous anger in the face of a bigot is always good, especially in a political agent.

“Maybe in a human…. But an Asari Must Be Controlled” She says but flares Biotic power.

You ask if she needs a hug, or a beer.

“I may need a hug…. But I do not drink booze. Thank you though.” Inanna responds.

You ask if she needs anything else.

“I may need you to watch out for my daughter on your days off from school. I am going to be campaigning soon, which will take up my days. Lili says she can cover most days, but she said you might be available if she is not. I am trying to cover all my bases and need ever bit of help to beat KARRA!” she says, punctuating the last word with Biotic power. 

You ask how much of this is grudge against Karra vs A Greater Good? You agree to help kid watch.

“Both. Karra is a staunch conservative and bigot, who many track on route for the Council seat possibly. Being mayor of a district would certainly put her on that track. She also was a toxic partner” Inanna explains.

Oof, you say. You ask why did Inanna ever date Karra? If it is not too much a question?

“She… Did Not Always Act Like…. _That_. We Were Friends, Back When We Were Both More Center In Politics, back in Uni and later lovers before we graduated. Ishtar, among others, helped me move more left, and eventually I was inspired by humans into socialism. Karra……. She got hit with something, I am not sure, but something radicalized her in the most traditional conservative of Asari politics. She never explained to me.” Inanna says pacing.

You understand and say you have had family and friends get hit with conservative radicalization. You lived in Texas.

“I have heard of this Texas… Do they really..? No never mind. Not important. You agreed to watch little Lili. Thank you. I will try and call you 2 days ahead if not more ahead to make sure you are available. I work 6-8 hours a day and arrive in time to help with diner. Big-Lili is my preferred choice, and she has authority to take little-Lili out places, which you do not yet. If you and big-Lili are not available, I will try someone else.” Lili explains

You say you understand. Little-Lili comes out of her room at this in her PJs.

“Are they going to be my new dad?” She asks.

“Child, Blood of my Soul…. Go to bed.” Inanna says.

“Fine. I do want a new dad and a sibling.” Little-Lili says wandering back.

You ask if Little-Lili is ok.

“She is fine… Her dad, a Salarian, Mordrick, died recently…. She wants a new father. And a sibling…” Inanna says, looking a bit sad.

You would make a joke about being available for that but hold your tongue. You say you understand her issues.

“Thank you, Makoto. I am proud to know you.” She says hugging you.

You feel your bond with her grow closer.

PING!

_Your bond with the Empress Arcana Has Grown. _ **LEVEL 2! **

You get a text from Zail saying they are back, and they brought weed brownies. They are currently detoxing. Michal took a bit too much but will recover by tomorrow, Hopefully.

You say it is getting late for you, and she agrees. She thanks you again.

You head back home, taking the weed brownies Michal bought you and putting them in your fridge. You will have them later. You confirm with Xan you are good for games tomorrow, which they agree to.

You drift off and dream your normal dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Karra was not abusive, just toxic, during the relationship to Inanna. Inanna broke it off before abuse could occur. 
> 
> This is going to be important.


	43. School Days Arc: Elizabeth has a Gun!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Exactly what it says on the tin.

You dream your normal dreams.

**PEACE DAY **

You awaken to 3 dozen priority alerts, all from the same address. You find they are all from Elizabeth, who was given an Omni-tool (and a false/stolen identity) by Odiya. Odiya did not teach her texting etiquette it seems. 

It is one confirmation that you are in fact going to the Arcade with her and Xan today after lunch. The rest is her cover identity details. She wishes to be addressed as “Margret Arisato”, a mix Japanese/Nordic woman who has come to the Citadel from Canada to see if she desires to move to the Citadel. The rest is so much purple-prose backstory that you go cross-eyed trying to read it all, and she keeps sending more texts regarding minor details.

You confirm that the date is still on, you lie and say you did in fact read all the backstory, and yes you will still teach her gun maintenance. She is satisfied at this and goes offline. You wonder how much of the “Margret Arisato” identity is just her trolling.

You do your routine and check in with everyone else. Xan is doing a short therapy session but will join you later. Freya, Lili, Zail and Kinney are still recovering from yesterday’s drug session, and would like not to be disturbed. Michal did a detox routine, a combo of medicine on hand at the K’Zal house, his Persona’s magic, and some SCIENCE! And went to school clean as a whistle.

You read the Journal of Michal’s Wildcard ancestor, Thordis, over breakfast, starting from the time she got her Persona first.

_“Dear Journal…… Long-Nose man fascinates me….. I have Awaken to Magic……. I need a Drink and Fuck……. Margret has nice tits………” _

You flip through the early sections, and it is mostly this. And complaining that people rely on her to much.

You relate so deeply.

You watch some cartoons and wait for the right time.

Just before lunch, Xan comes home and sits down across from you. They sign that they are excited to meet a true member of the Velvet Room, especially one with a lack of recording.

You ask if any other member of Earth’s Velvet Room is known to the Citadel.

Xan signs that Margret, Theodore, Lavenza and a few others were recorded helping Earth Wildcards during a huge cluster of recorded incidents around the year 2000. They mention that Elizabeth was spotted during some of these incidents, but no real record of their presence has been detailed. She is a “cryptid”, as humans say, Xan signs.

You nod in understanding. Makes sense given the way she acts, you say.

You grab a light lunch and you and Xan head for the arcade soon after.

You and Xan take their car to The Metro-Station. You spot Elizabeth near the Synapse Nexus. She has used magic to dye her hair orange and cover her iris’s true form with a green shade. She is also wearing a new outfit, a simple graphic tee with “No One Knows I Am A God” on it, jeans with some nice shoes. She maintains her classic hat, which is how you recognized her. She also brought the Talon pistol she won from Cerberus.

You call her out as Margret, which pleases her. You introduce her and Xan. Xan is doing their best to remain calm, focus on the goal, but the prospect of meeting on of the Velvet room you tell excites them.

You enter and Xan arranges the Holo-combat combat game. You remind Elizabeth to only use the toy-gun provided and the Omni-app for weapons, and not Persona or actual guns or actual omni-tool weapons.

“Please Makoto, I have played these games before.” She says downloading the needed apps for her omni-tool

You, Xan, and Elizabeth set up. Xan picks Sentinel, you go Infiltrator, and Elizabeth picks Adept to start. You choose an old-Earth military setting.

You go for about an hour and a bit before Elizabeth gets tired of fighting. She says she has chosen the Adapt style to be her main method.

Xan questions this. They sign how does Elizabeth plan on becoming a Biotic? Xan asks is Elizabeth naturally a Biotic because of the Velvet Room?

“Let me worry about that, and no, Velvet Room’s are not natively biotic, but I know how I can acquire the abilities.” Elizabeth says.

Xan is baffled at this but lets the questions go, telepathically telling you that they trust Elizabeth. They also privately tell you that their scans of Elizabeth indicate a massive Persona ability, but no Eezo in body, meaning Elizabeth lacks native biotic ability.

You ask Elizabeth how they plan on becoming a biotic.

“Odiya recommend a method of becoming a Bioitic a while ago, exclusive to our kind. I tested the Adept method of fighting today and took a liking to it. I know what I am doing.” Elizabeth explains.

You nod and accept. You probably are talking a bit to much in public. You offer to take Elizabeth to the gun store.

When your group enters, the Elderly Turian manning the store notices Elizabeth’s gun and tells you to leave. “We don’t serve Cerberus.” He says.

“I do apologize for contradicting you, but I am not Cerberus. I won this gun as a trophy when I slew their agents” Elizabeth explains.

The Turian looks shocked at this and tells Elizabeth to repeat herself, the Turian brining up a lie-detector app on his Omni-tool.

Elizabeth repeats the statement, almost exactly, and the Turian reads his omni-tool saying that she is telling the truth. 

This gets a smile from him. “Good to know.” He says and allows your group to parous his wares and use his tables for the upgrades/maintenance lessons.

The gun comes base with an improved high-calibre barrel, but you buy an improved coolant system to improve cool-down for the pistol. Xan also buys some Biotic ammo-blocks and the fabrication rights for spare-parts, to allow Elizabeth to use a fabricator to build spare-parts for the Talon. Talon pistols need constant maintenance because of heating issues, Xan signs, which is why they are not popular with militaries outside Cerberus.

You teach Elizabeth how to maintain the Talon, and guns in general.

Xan gifts Elizabeth her old Locust SMG. You and Xan realize that Elizabeth needs a military-tier gun licence to use this stuff, but she says that Odiya covered that.

Xan teaches Elizabeth how to maintain the Locust and installs upgrades for it, mostly an improved barrel and other upgrade that Xan used to have on it.

You feel your bond with Elizabeth grow closer.

PING!

_Your bond with the Death Arana has grown._ **LEVEL 3**

You get a call from Zail that he wants to meet you and Xan home.

You part ways with Elizabeth, who says they will want to meet again after they acquired “some things”.

You head home with Xan.

Zail says he and the rest have recovered when you get home, and that he wants to hang out with you tomorrow after school.

You agree and head to bed after reading more of Thordis’s journal and playing some games.


	44. School Days Arc: Tits out in the Snow.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You Meditate with Zail.

During your dreams, you ask Odiya for a swarm of monsters to fight, to test your limits.

Odiya sends wave of minor minion after wave and you defeat them all.

You acquire/fuse 2 new Persona from this. A Hanar Death spirit called a “End’s Maw” and a Turian Death spirit called a “Lor’Zek”. Both have useful traits.

**HOPE DAY**

You awaken from your night and do routine. You get ready for school, confirming with Zail about meeting him later at a new park in a different ward, “The Thessian Groves”.

You head to class with Michal and he talks about his experiences getting high. You offer to hang out later at the Field of Dreams on his days off. He agrees, saying Party day would be good. You pencil him in.

When you arrive, he says he has a study group during lunch, and will not be able to hang-out during lunch. You say that is fine. You part ways for now.

You find Jane and head to class with them. They say they want you to meet their military friends on Wisdom day, tomorrow, in the evening. You say that is good, and pencil them in.

You get to class, and Bob teaches his lesson. You are well engaged.

After class, when everyone else leaves, you do some follow up questions with Bob. He is fascinated by your ideas, but another student needs help from him and Jane needs lunch, so you part ways.

You talk with Jane about these military friends of theirs over lunch. They say that like them, these 2 are “classified” in terms of military history. Jane says their names are “Sam” and “Roger”. These 2 are good friends of Jane, helped them through a lot.

You say you look forward to meeting them.

Your next class is engaging as well. You get some good questions in and some good answers in as well with the teacher.

You head to where Zail told you to meet, The Thessian Groves, after class.

It is a large complex in a wealthier Asari neighborhood. Like most garden’s it is a layered green house, this one used to emulate Thessia’s environment, and contains plants mostly from Thessia, though certain breeds from key Asari colonies are also present. In the trivia section of the info, it mentions the building is used to grow key vegetables for Asari children, key to Asari growth.

Zail messages you he is at the highest-level meditating, though he tells you not to rush.

You wander the gardens. The population is mostly Asari and their partners. You draw eyes, some wondering what a lone human is doing here, another chunk looking at you are prospecting you for potential partner. Zail mentioned last dinner that you look particularly good by Asari standards.

You find Zail where he said he would be. Highest level, in the cold biome, on a pillow, no shirt, meditating. Only some maintenance staff are here. You remember Asari tend not to like the cold, and this area is meant to grow plants found in Thessia’s polar climate. You call out to Zail.

“Sup dude. Come, sit with me.” He says pointing at a pillow next to him.

You do, and it is a comfy pillow. You meditate with him for a bit before you ask him what this is about.

He activates a Silence Zone. “It was the cult of truth that attacked me that day, attacked US. They wanted to kill me publicly on a live broadcast, along with any other Persona user, or potential Persona user, they could capture. Saren sent the Council the details, and they forwarded it to me.” Zail Explains, maintaining composure.

You say you figured it was someone like them.

“Saren said they had help. Someone on the inside who placed the Dark Hour bomb. Someone within the staff of the Spaceport on Earth, and the other end on the Citadel. The Cult’s power is more then I assumed, and they have a solid foothold on Earth, and the Citadel.” Zail further says.

You nod and tell him to continue.

“It means the Cult is back and more powerful. My mentor Omna made it her last act as an Exorcist, the last act of her life 40 years ago, to Purge them from the Galaxy. She called all Exorcists she could spare, every Specter who would heed her, every Justicar who owed her, and every military and mercenary that would listen, to aid in eliminating them. She died in glorious combat against their last “Torch Bearer”, and it was assumed they were scattered and dying as a meme. Now it is rumored they have a new Torch Bearer, and they are looking at Earth.” Zail says, and you can tell he is getting angry.

You put a hand on his thigh, telling him that you will help him with what needs to be done.

“I knew you would say that… Thank you. However, they are still mostly scattered now. If the Cult were back in the ways they were, I would know. They are getting help from a 3rd party, someone powerful, and are using this power to do evil, but I cannot involve you. I cannot risk a Wildcard dying on me to pursue an enemy I don’t know the full extent of.” Zail says looking grim.

You tell him you have no intention of dying, you have to much to live for.

“Nice. Thanks for talking. I will tell you later if I find more.”

You nod and ask him if there was anything else.

“I thought about the threesome we had…….. I thought you said you did not do rough stuff?” Zail says smiling.

“I don’t” you say.

“So fucking like a jackhammer is normal for you? Damn dude.” Zail says, playfully hitting your chest.

“You and Kinney did not complain. Both you came back for seconds.” You say.

“That we did.” Zail says, smiling.

He disables the silence zone, and you meditate with him for another 30 minutes before returning home.

You feel your bond with him grow.

PING!

_Your connection to the Emperor Arcana has grown!_ **LEVEL 4!**

You warm-up with some decaf tea when you return home, Zail chugging some Batarian Beer.

You head to bed early after reading more of Thordis’s journal.

_“Fucking gits on my clit, wanting me to help………….. Just want some fuck but Igor keeps pestering me, telling me to save world….. Wonder if Margret is into women……… Fucking Invoker Knife fucking hurts to use……….. Killed a slave-owner with my mind, that is cool………..” _

Such a masterful, relatable wordsmith, you think.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does Makoto have a Dick? Do They use a Strap? You decide.


	45. School Days Arc: Enter the Bastard Named Konrad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jane let you meet their friends. 
> 
> And Then A Bastard Shows Up.

You do some training in your dreams, fighting minor shadows. Odiya says she has a task for you soon.

**Wisdom Day**

You get up and confirm with Jane that you are seeing them tonight. They confirm a location, a veteran’s bar in a human district called “Infinite Ammo”. You need to be a veteran to get in normally, but you will be their guest, so it is ok.

You do your routine, get changed, grab breakfast, and head off to class.

The class goes while despite getting an answer that seemed obvious wrong, but you learned things which the important part.

You have a few hours before you are supposed to meet Jane, so you work out at the University gyms, go home, shower/change and grab some dinner.

You chat with Zail when he learns which bar this is. He describes it as a bit of a dive bar, where PTSD ridden warriors drown their sorrows. He has been a few times to chat with a couple of human Exorcists who go there. Zail recommends bringing Knife and Pistol, just to be safe, plus most of the people who go there bring sidearms anyhow. You nod and get ready, changing into a formal/casual outfit.

You take cab to the location of the bar. You arrive early, but Jane is waiting for you. They greets you with firm handshake. You notice their pistol on their hip, not recognizing it. You ask for a closer look.

“Oh sure, it is a new model, the M-97 Tigress. Basically, an Alliance version of the Talon” She says handing it over.

As you inspect the pistol, you remember reading about prototypes for it. Larger than most pistols, it carries the stopping power on par with most high-power shotguns, but can fired/carried on-handed easily, inspired by old fashion sawed-off shotguns. Only 2 shots before cooldown, but advanced cooling system allow for a decent flow of shots, and it is easier to maintain the then Talon, requiring less maintenance. You tell Jane they have good taste in guns.

“Thanks. I like the Phalanx you carry as well. Good taste. We should go to a shooting range together.” They offer, and you agree, saying you know a good one.

With a potential shooting range meeting done, you head into the bar, bouncer inspecting Jane’s ID and they confirm you are their guest.

The bar is…. Something, you think. Mostly grey, filled with drunken veterans talking about guns, battle and sometimes love. You been to similar bars before on Earth, ones favored by your parents. You were brought to a similar one in Texas by your parents for your “coming of age first night of drinking” when you turned 20.

Jane directs you to a table containing 2 individuals. One a stoic looking Black/Asian man with short hair dressed formally, and a more joyous looking Native American woman with dyed-blonde long hair dressed casually in lesbian pride shirt and sweatpants. They greet Jane with joy and pour them some scotch.

“Hey friends. This is Makoto, the reserve Exorcist. Makoto this is Roger (pointing at the Blasian man) and Sam (pointing at the native woman).”

You and Jane sit down and talk with Sam and Roger for about 30 minutes. Initially you kept quiet, but eventually the topic turns to you, and how you became an reserve Exorcist. You tell the lie you were told to tell, and then the truth of what it is like living with the KZals, as well as some of your family’s military history.

Sam is extroverted to an extreme, bombast in telling of her deeds. She has a “colonist” accent, someone who lived either on colonies or even the Citadel. You ask where she “came from” (prefacing saying she does not have too if she finds the question rude), but she accepts the question, saying she lived on a colony, but moved to the Citadel to complete her education.

Roger is calmer, tad introverted. His accent is Scottish, and he says yes, he was born in Scotland. Joined the N7 program to escape his lower-class upbringing in Glasgow.

Jane’s friends seem impressed by you, and they seem to be considering you one of them.

And Then HE Shows Up.

“Hey Guys” a voice/face you recognize from memes, news, and C-Sec warnings. Konrad Verner. 

“Konrad I do believe. Get The Fuck Out. You are a wanted man by C-sec, and I would not want to bring trouble to this calm bar” Roger explains, finishing his scotch.

Sam flares Biotic power “My good dude, impersonating officers is a crime, and doing so to try and harass people is a further crime. We Were Have A Good Time!” Sam says

Jane tries to calm their friends, but Konrad speaks and aggresses the situation.

“I just wanted to say hi to Samus Mindor and Kaizen McCain, human Specter candidates. You think you could get in good word for me with the Council?” he says

“Fuck” Samus and Kaizen say at the same time.

“So much cover-backstory planning wasted” Kaizen says, pouring himself another Scotch, a large serving.

“I dyed my hair for nothing……. At least I look good blonde…. I think I will keep it.” Samus says, playing with her hair.

Jane tries to take control of the situation. “Konrad, how did you know? These 2 are supposed to be laying low.” Jane says.

“Hey I recognize you, the….” Konrad says, but is interrupted by Samus and Kaizen pointing their pistols in his face. Jane face-palms and drinks right from the Scotch bottle.

Samus wields the iconic Carnifex Magnum, and you see it has the super-heavy barrel upgrade, meaning if she pulls the trigger, Konrad dies instantly. “They are a friend met via a Veteran’s support group. Nothing More”

Kaizen wields an N7 Hurricane SMG, equipped with an improved coolant system and a rate-of-fire enhancer. If he pulls the trigger, Konrad dies by a several dozen grains of ammo rending him apart instantly. “Do leave. You are harassing us. I contacted the authorities already and they will pick you up outside. Leave in a wagon or a body-bag, I care little.”

“Wow, wow…..” Konrad says trying to get a word in

Jane has gotten bored and points their shotgun at him. “You want to know what it is like to truly see war and battle. This is it, a bunch of people who hate you pointing guns at your face. You are nothing but an imposter trying to feel like a big man.” Jane says.

You point your pistol at him and give a “What They Said”. This earns smirks from your new friends and Jane.

Konrad leaves and is picked up by C-Sec. This kills the mood for the night. Samus and Kaizen thank you for your time, and you exchange contact info with them for potential one-on-one meetings. They like you. You promise to keep their true names a secret for now, given the fact the whole “human specter” thing is supposed to be on the “down-low” for now.

Jane apologizes for dragging you out here, but you say it is fine and you had a good time aside from Konrad.

“Thanks. Just so you know my true…” Jane is about reveal true name, but you say that if they are uncomfortable revealing it now, their true name can wait.

They thank you and you part ways. You feel your bond with Jane has gotten closer.

PING!  
_Your connection to the Hanged Arcana has grown!_ **LEVEL 2!**

You arrive home and drink a good amount of water and eat a good amount of food to prevent hang-over tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forget what Konrad was exactly like.


	46. School Days Arc: Get Thee To A Therapy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You officially Bond with Bob and get Lili some Therapy.

**LOVE DAY**

You get up early and do your routine. You exit and find Lili with breakfast for you.

“Makoto, can you meet me at L’Vess Memorial Mental Hospital after school? I am planning to find a therapist, a human one, and I want some support. Everyone else is busy with a Shadow incident on a nearby colony, or they are Michal and doing a study group. You seem free.” Lili asks

You say sure. While you eat, you ask why not get an Asari therapist.

“Asari therapists are wonderful, but I feel a human therapist, one who works better with trauma, could be more useful.” Lili explains. “After that incident at the Field of Dreams….. I think I need help, more then I knew. I talked with Freya while we all went, and she said a human therapist could help more then Asari one for my issues.”

What is wrong with Asari ones? you ask

“Asari psychotherapy emphasizes a return to “normal”, an emphasis on making one be part of a whole and I feel like that would make me not be me…. If that makes sense. Zail has similar issues for why he does not see a therapist, I think. Xan sees a Salarian therapist for their issues, which might have inspired Freya to recommend a human one for me.” Lili explains.

Makes sense you say.

After arranging a time and location, you head off to school.

Bob teaches a class well. You get a wrong answer, and Bob corrects in a good way. Jane says they have their own study group to do today, so you talk with Bob.

“Your nonbinary nature…… Can I ask what is like, for you? It is just you are the first non-binary human to talk with me regularly” Bob asks nervously.

You say you are always willing to talk about gender to the confused. You say that most comfortable when presenting a sort of “both” gender presentation. You tend not to care how others perceive you most of the time, though getting complimented on looks does feel good.

“You must get a lot from Asari” Bob says.

You sort of do. Zail mentioned that you look good by Asari standards.

“Fascinating. Gender of humans is something that has always been interesting to me. You have inspired me, Makoto, to look into gender expression and identity” Bob says

You thank him for the compliments.

PING!

_“Thou Art I and I am Thou”  
“Thou Hast Formed A New Bond”_

_“These Are The Bonds That Shall Change The Galaxy”_

_“You Have Awakened The Power of the Star Arcana” _

“Ah, Makoto, you kind of spaced out for a second” Bob says.

You apologize (you never realized you blank out when the PING happens), and say you are just hungry now. Bob gives you leave, saying you and him will follow up later.

You grab lunch and get ready for next class.

Miss I’Viv does some lessons with VI today, with student pretending to be diplomats and the VIs pretending to be angry politicians. You feel you did pretty well, even if you found yourself nearly declaring war with a holographic Turian.

With that class over, you go to meet Lili.

Lili meets you outside the mental hospital.

“Thank you for doing this Makoto. I just…. Need a specialist.” She says as you greet her.

You say there is no shame in getting help. You say both your parents see therapists, from trauma regarding the First Contact War among other issues.

You enter and sit down. Lili made an appointment, to be tested, a while ago, so all there is waiting for her spot to open-up. You put a hand on hers.

“Last time I tried therapy; it was 150 years ago. Ended badly. Ishtar wanted me to see someone for trauma, and the therapist got me on some good meds, but the pressure to deny who I am was a to much, among other pressures. I hope a human helps more.” Lili explains.

You give a light squeeze and say you will be here.

You feel your bond with Lili grow.

PING!

_Your bond with the Strength Arcana has grow!_ **LEVEL 4. **

When Lili gets called in, an African human woman enters. She has lovely dreads and is taller than you. She identifies herself as Doctor Nnedi Jaeger. She will be seeing Lili.

Lili enters Doctor Jaeger’s room, and you wait. You watch some anime on your Omni-tool as you wait the hour and a half Lili is in the office.

When Lili leaves, she looks like she had been crying, but is happy. Doctor Jaeger looks stressed by satisfied.

“You must be Makoto…. I do believe I can help Miss K’Zal with her issues. I specialize in long-term and generational trauma.” Jaeger says. “Lili…… let us just say she is my first Asari patient, and she has generations worth of trauma in her long life.”

You and Lili thank Jaeger for her service.

You and Lili head home.

Freya has prepared dinner, an assortment of Lili’s favorites. Freya apologizes for not being able to be there, but is glad things worked out, and will work out long term. Zail, Xan and Kinney will be back tomorrow. Freya asks you to hangout tomorrow, and you agree. Michal mentions he has heard of the Jaeger family in the medical circles he has been in, and they do good work.

You head to bed satisfied in a while spent day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I could have sworn I established Bob's S-link sooner. 
> 
> Yay! Lili gets help now.


	47. School Days Arc: Eclipse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Freya has Grim News Regarding Saren.

You dream your normal dreams.

**Victory Day. **

You get up and do your routine. You confirm with Freya about meeting her today after school, this time at her office in the Presidium.

You grab breakfast and head off to school.

Cross-cultural lit is interesting. You read how classic works are adapted across cultures. The efforts to translate Earth Graphic Novels into other languages is an ongoing effort, one Roger is apart of.

You head off to the presidium via cab, and arrive at the Exorcist offices. You stop in on Zail and Kinney, who are writing reports from a recent incident, to wish them well. They barely acknowledge you, but you get why. Reports do not write themselves, and Zail is very sure to make reports right.

You head to Freya’s office.

“Friendly: Hello Makoto. It is good to see you.” Freya says as you enter. She says as she writes a report.

You ask what this is about.

“Serious: Zail told you that the Cult of Truth was behind the attack against him, and Saren was the one to first learn this.” Freya says. “He wants to question you.”

“Great” you say. You ask why not Michal.

“Annoyed but Grateful” Michal does not interest Saren for some reason. Officially, Saren does not want to disrupt Michal’s studies, and figures you are enough. But I think he wants you because he suspects you of being involved with the Cult.” Freya says.

You ask what you are supposed to do.

“Annoyed: I think we might need to come clean of your nature to Saren…. But I do not know who he would tell afterwards.” Freya says

You say that being public would be bad. You know what happened to Norra, and with the cult back, you say secrets would be preferable. You ask if there is a way to swear Saren to secrecy.

“Serious: I have no idea. He wants to interrogate you in an official C-Sec interrogation room. Which would record you, and monitor you for lies.” Freya explains.

You swear. You say if you can avoid admitting your true nature, you will, but if coming clean is for the greater good, you will.

You can tell Freya is deeply uncomfortable, probably Persona Empathy or something.

You put a hand on her should and say things will be ok. You have a woman whose mission is to save you, and will stop at nothing to do so.

“Annoyance and Joy: I would rather it not come to that. That would be this Elizabeth woman? You should invite her here so I can forge her some armor” Freya says.

You say things will work out, you are sure, and if not, Elizabeth can get you out of Saren’s Reach. And you will be sure to invite Elizabeth, though you mention Elizabeth prefers to be called Margert when she is out and about.

“Thankful: Thank you Makoto” Freya says

You feel you bond with Freya grow.

PING!

_Your bond with the Sun Arcana has grown!_ ** LEVEL 4!**

You say good day to Freya and make to leave her office when her door opens, and to your Shock, it is Saren in the door way. 

“Oh, Hello Makoto, Hello Freya” he says in good English.

You would quip “Speak of the Devil” but you hold your tongue.

“Saren What Do YOU WANT” Freya says, forgetting to preface her words.

“Just telling you when I want Makoto for an Interview. This coming Religion day, at midday, at the location I gave you earlier. I it is merely a coincidence that Makoto was here already” Saren says, hint of smugness in his voice. He switched back to his native Turian dialect. 

“Fine. Now Leave Me Alone. I Have A Report To Write. And Leave Makoto Alone Until Then.” Freya says. You can feel her distaste for Saren, and you can tell she might summon Persona. You want to break the tension by saying something, but the….

A blade appears just at the edge of Saren’s throat.

“Saren, what the fucking hells are you doing here, and why is Freya shouting. Freya Never Shouts!” Kinney’s voice remains calm, but you can feel her hate for Saren in it. You can tell she yearns to move the blade a few centimeters and end the Specter's life. 

“I told you to leave My Exorcists out of our squabble Specter.” Zail says. You hear a Biotic thrum behind Saren's head. Zail is holding something big. 

Saren looks a bit panicked. You do not think he remembered Zail and Kinney were in the area.

“I was just about to leave, thank you.” He says, and he backs away slowly.

After he is out of ear shot, you and the Exorcists take a deep breath of relief.

“Annoyed: Did you 2 wait to be dramatic, or did it really take you that long to get my message.” Freya asks.

“Both? I was hyper focusing on the report, and Kinney was too. We noticed too late and came as soon as we could get our weapons.” Zail explains.

You say you are grateful nothing happened. You ask if such standoffs are common.

“He shoved a gun in my face last time we were faced to face. I doubt he will report a sword to his, especially if it means we got the drop on him. Score one for Kinney by the way.” Zail says.

“Calming: We need to finish reports. Makoto, you should head home. I will meet you when I can.” Freya says

You head home and tell Michal and Xan what happened. You are getting interrogated Religion Day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boy howdy I have been wanting to the Integration bit for a while.


	48. School Days Arc: Death and Temperance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You walk in on Elizabeth and Odiya preforming an intricate ritual.

You take a sleeping pill and go to bed after a large meal. You should not make any major decisions without a good meal and a good sleep, your grandmother said. You think it is wise to heed such advice.

Michal told you to fight. Xan told you to comply for now. You are going to see what Elizabeth and Odiya say.

You call out to them as you drift off to dream land. You hear an Aria from Everywhere and Nowhere.

You find them both in the Velvet Observatory, both nude, kneeling over a pile of glowing Eezo.

“Makoto…. Uh…. Peace Be Upon You Wildcard?” Elizabeth says

“We did not expect you today….. Is something the matter? I was going to fuse Elizabeth with Eezo so she can attain Biotic power” Odiya follows up.

You say you are going to be interrogated by Saren on Religion day, and you want advice. Saren suspects you might have been involved with the Cult.

“Bastard……. I will rend him!” Elizabeth says but is cut off by Odiya.

“I have heard of this Saren….. Makoto listen to me. He attained a Persona outside my view, so I do not know the extent of his power. I do know he should be feared, but I think it is best to comply for now” Odiya explains.

“If he does hurt you, I will…” Elizabeth begins but is once more hushed by Odiya.

“I will infuse Elizabeth with Biotic power so she might better save your skin if something does happen. She will take you to Earth if that happens, where you can complete your Journey with Igor. But I have faith that you will not come to harm in that interrogation.” Odiya says.

You give thanks. You mention to Elizabeth that Freya is willing to forge Elizabeth’s Armor soon.

“If you succeed in the interrogation, I will gladly have it.” Elizabeth says.

“Go in Peace Wildcard, and know we support you” Odiya says.

“Toodles. Tell your friends to stay out of my way if something happens!” Elzabeth follows up.

You feel your connection to them grow.

PING!

_Your connection to the Temperance Arcana has grown!_ **LEVEL 4!**

_Your connection to the Death Arcana has grown_! **LEVEL 4!**


	49. School Days Arc: Feelings Jams with Game Buds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michal is upset so you have a feelings jam.

**PARTY DAY**

You get up and do routine. You get a text from Michal saying he cancelled the “Field of Dreams” trip, but still wants to hang out today. The Exorcists are busy trying to sort out thing regard you with the Council and other legal stuff. Lili is doing a therapy session.

You find Michal at the dinning table. He looks solemn. You try to crack a joke, which gets his attention, but his mood does not improve.

You ask him where he would want to hang out, if doing drugs is off the table.

“I honestly don’t know….. I feel helpless for you if that makes sense.” Michal says “When my ancestor Thordis got in trouble with the law, she fought and slew, but her oppressors were not C-Sec and Spector forces.”

You say you have confidence, that Odiya and Elizabeth are helping you.

“You talked to them? What did they say” he asked?

You say that if things go wrong, Elizabeth will take you to Earth by force, but Odiya believes that it will not come to that.

“Really. Good to know. I should meet Elizabeth if possible. She was mentioned in Thordis’s journal. Appeared once to meet Margret. They are sisters apparently, in whatever ways gods can have siblings.” Michal says

You ask if Michal feels better.

“Yeah, I do. Want to play video games?” Michal asks

You agree, and you and spend a good chunk of the day playing video games.

You feel your bond with Michal grow.

PING!

_Your Bond With The Magician Arcana Has Grown_! **LEVEL 4!**

Michal gets a call from his medical student study group, saying a few of them need help, and he retires before dinner for a group chat. You switch to “Mind/Soul/Heart Realm Fantasy” and see if Infiltrait0rN7 is online. They are.

You play with them for a bit before they ask you a question before you leave for dinner.

“You have been online all day. Is something the matter?” they ask

You say were having a feelings jam with your friend over video games. You mention you are kind of in trouble with the law, and Michal is upset.

“How are you in trouble” they ask

You say you helped someone, but now the law suspects you of being involved in the wrong way. You say you are confident that you will make it out ok though, it is just a misunderstanding.

“Good to know” they say

“I have thought about my gender over the past while. I am still not sure the exact label, but I like They/Them pronouns. I used to use them for secrecy, but I think I will adopt them permanently” They also mention

Good for you, you text them.

PING!

_Your bond to the Hermit Arcana has grown! _**LEVEL 2!**

You say good day to your friend and grab some dinner.

Lili arrives home, along with the rest. Zails says the “interrogation” is not one legally, it simply “requires” the lie detecting equipment found in C-Sec high-class interrogation cells. This means Saren does not need to give you a Lawyer but is forbidden from a lot of the usual extra-legal powers he has for interrogations. Xan was trying to find a lawyer to take the case, but none would take it, not against Saren. Kinney was pouring over law books and sends a long document to you about your rights. Freya checked with the Council, but Tevos insists on interrogating you via Saren.

Lili had a good therapy appointment.

You have confidence you will be alright. You want to go to the gym, and go to bed early so you can go to the Local Leftists meeting tomorrow.

Everyone feels your calm and agrees.

You head off to a gym, and head to bed tired after an intense workout.


	50. School Days Arc: Mutual Aid pays back.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unions Save Lives.

**WORKER’S DAY**  
  


You get up and do your routine. Everyone is busy, except Xan who is doing a stress-relief gaming binge. Xan mentions they want to talk to you after your meeting with the Leftists, which you agree to.

You watch some cartoons before heading out, over a heavier breakfast. You realize something.

You could ask the Leftists for help.

You head off to the meeting, arriving early. Lorgar scans you in and you meet Inanna and ask her a question. “Can your group help me?” you ask.

Inanna reviews your issues, including the Rights document Kinney provided, and nods. “Makoto, you have done a lot in a short time, and a person like Saren should not be allowed to grab who ever he wants.” She says.

People arrive and Inanna calls out to a couple of them, ones you recognize as Rights Lawyers. “People, Makoto is unjustly being accused of crime. Anyone who desires to help, please do. You will be compensated by the K’Zals.” Inanna says.

The meeting, which initially was just going to be a general one, becomes a dedicated meeting to defending you. Various lawyers, even ones from outside the LL brought in via video chat, union leaders and other people reviewed your case, your rights and other factors, and managed to find a couple lawyers who would be willing to defend you. They develop a defence, and say they are willing to help, for the usual fees.

You are amazed.

The meeting concludes and you tell your new lawyers where to meet tomorrow.

You talk with Inanna afterwards. You say how impressed you are.

“Trust me, you are not the first person we devoted our power to defend. Last time it was a Krogan falsely accused of assault and we managed to not only free him but uncover a drug trafficking ring run out of C-Sec as well” Inanna replies.

You feel your respect for Inanna and the Local Leftists grow even more

PING!

_Your connection to the Empress Arcana has grown!_ **LEVEL 3!**

You say good day to Inanna and head home, confident in your ability to survive tomorrow.

You check in with Xan, who is eating plain noodles and vegetables for lunch. You ask what they wanted to talk to you about.

They sign they found a spell that could enable you to perfectly lie, bypassing even C-Sec tech, during tomorrow’s “interview”.

You say you will not need it but are grateful for their efforts.

They ask why.

You say you have the Local Leftists behind you with their Rights Lawyers, who have developed a defence for you, and if that fails, Elizabeth will bail you out.

Xan is shocked. They sign, asking how you found lawyers willing to take the case, and you say the Local Leftists collectively viewed your case and presented it to a couple of good lawyers in such a way that the lawyers were willing to do it for the usual fees. You send the payment info to Xan via Omni-tool.

Xan starts crying in joy and messages the rest of the Exorcists, who are all glad you found the legal help. Lili mentions they should have gone to Inanna in the first place.

Xan thanks you for the relief. They sign that these lawyers should be able to get Saren off your back.

They ask if hugging you would be ok, and you agree. You give them a good mutual hug.

PING!

_Your Connection to the Fortune Arcana has Grown!_ **LEVEL 4!**

You play games with Xan, getting your ass kicked but having fun.

Everyone else arrives by dinner and reviews your defence. They are confident in your ability to survive.

You head to bed early so you can go in tomorrow with a clear head.


	51. School Days Arc: Interview Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saren wants you but you are ready.

**RELIGION DAY**

You awake confident in yourself. You do your routine ready.

You will defeat Saren today.

Everyone is going to support you. You arrive at the dining table with your new family, and you all review your rights. As you all review, you here the door alarm blare, an unknown person with great psychic power. You know who it is.

You rush to the door and find her, Elizabeth, in her Margret disguise.

“Greeting Makoto. I am ready to take you to Earth peacefully if you need it. Please Tell Me You Need It” Elizabeth says.

You politely deny her. You say you have a plan that should work.

“Drat… I mean Good! I am still coming with you to the “interview” so I can rescue you in case things go wrong.” Elizabeth responds

You invite her in an introduce her to those who she has yet to meet and have her review your plan. She approves

The time for you to go to C-Sec approaches, and you arrive at the “interview” location an hour early.

Your lawyers, all payed for, are waiting for you. A 434-year-old Asari named Elspeth, a friend of Inanna, and a Salarian named Kilroy, an associate of the dockworker’s union. Both are ready, and you review the plans with them. They had been part of the planning via video.

A large group of the Local Leftists is also there, including Inanna. Many are armed as much as the law will allow. They are not protesting, simply hanging out, talking, Waiting.

You wait for Saren to arrive. He arrives 30 minutes before the interview. He is surprised to see such large group supporting you. You offer to start the interview early, saying you are ready. He agrees, but you can tell he is not ready for you.

When you enter the “interview” room Elspeth and Kilroy chew Saren’s ears off for 30 minutes. They remind him of every right you have, that you are a civilian who is here of your own choice, that you can leave at anytime, and are here out of respect for the council. Saren was not expecting this.

Saren sets up the lie detector. He asks you obvious truths, and obvious lies, to set up a base line.

He then summons his Persona, which you could describe as an Eldritch Turian Angel named “Kor’Zack’Mal”, many eyed and ablaze, much to the shock of Elspeth and Kilroy, but he says it is merely to dispel any spells you have on you. You consent to this, and he casts the dispel ability. You feel no different. 

He then asks 2 questions. Are you involved with the Cult of Truth or any associates, which you answer no. He then asks if you had Persona ability before the day of the Attack, which you say you have innate Persona ability, but had not been tested for it.

He then asks if Zail lied on the report. A question you had prepared for. You answer Zail did not lie, which comes up as truth. You used your Persona to alter your own mental perception of events just before arriving, so that this lie became truth to you. Kinney taught you that one today, a way to alter your own mind to pass lie detectors. Since it is a mental change, not magic, Saren’s dispel would not work. You only had time to set it up for one question though, so you had to pick an obvious one.

He gives up after this. What ever scheme he had, was ruined by the presence of your lawyers and the Leftists. His gambit failed, Saren walks off in shame, telling you are free to go.

Everyone greets you with cheer. Zail offers a pizza party, but you just want to chill.

You feel everyone’s adoration for you, their bonds to you and each other grow.

PING!

_Your connection to the Fool Arcana has grow!_ **LEVEL 3!**

You head home and catch up with studies and inform your parents and online friends you will be OK.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like the sex scene, I had more planned for the interview, but I could not figure a way to make it work, so I took the easy way out.


	52. School Days Arc: Mourning and Culture.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You mourn for a woman you have never met. 
> 
> You see how others see Earth.

**PEACE DAY**

You awaken after confirming your safety with Odiya. Her monitoring of Saren indicates that he has abandoned his pursuit of you and Zail for now, moving on to the Cult of Truth.

You do your routine and receive a text from Jane. They want to hang out after they are done with an Alliance thing, so they will be available in the evening. They want to hang out at the Human Cultural Center in the Wards this evening. You agree.

You find everyone else busy except Kinney, who did not send a message on her whereabouts. You look around the house, and do not find her.

You check her and Zail’s room and find her praying before the Shrine to the Drell Pantheon, set specifically a god you recognize, Kalahira, from video games and cultural teachings. A Goddess of Death.

“You may enter. Come, Sit with me.” Kinney offers. You notice a pillow next to her, and you move next to sit.

“I pray for the soul of one of my Fathers’ sisters, my “aunt” as you humans would say. She died 2 days ago. I was so focused on helping you, I did not have to mourn until now.” Kinney says

You say you genuinely are sorry for taking up her time and will help her if needed.

“Don’t be sorry. She had been dying of Kepral's Syndrome for a while now, and kept herself off transplant lists, to better help others. I would like you to pray with me though.” Kinney replies.

You say you understand.

“It is complicated…. I loved her, and she was the source of the egg that formed me, but I have known she had been dying for so long, predicted every outcome of her life, and I feel a tad numb. She is not the first of my relatives to die, all my grandparents are dead, my former handler is dead….. I just want to pray for now.” Kinney explains.

You say you will sit here and listen as long as she needs, or until your appointment with Jane.

“Thank you Makoto….. If I start doing flashbacks, don’t interrupt.”

You sit, listen, and pray with Kinney for about 2 hours before she asks you to leave, and give her some private time.

You feel your bond with her grow.

PING!

_Your Bond to the Priestess Arcana has grown!_ **LEVEL 4!**

You have lunch and head for a gym. You train well there, eager to blow off steam. You make good use of a punching bag, pretending it is Saren, though you leave when you notice other patrons of the Gym staring at you.

You head home and shower and change. You boot up your games and notice Infiltrait0rN7 is online and you play with them a bit.

“Friend, there was a gathering of people with guns on the Citadel yesterday. I cannot find a reason why. Do you know?” they ask.

You respond saying someone was being held against their will illegally, and the Local Leftists were ensuring that the laws were being followed peacefully. You do a quick Omni-tool check to make sure there was not another armed protest yesterday, but fine yourself telling the truth.

“Are you involved with the Local Leftists?” they ask

You say yes. You hold a deep respect for worker’s rights, and are a member of the LL.

“Interesting. I too hold respect for Worker’s Rights. I shall investigate Leftism” They say.

Good for you, you respond.

You log off after chatting with gamebud and have dinner. Zail arrives home after dealing with the Council, gives you a nod and checks in with his wife. 

Michal arrives after studying, and proceeds to cook a large amount of food. You see it looks good, but you got to get going.

You head off to the human cultural center and find Jane waiting for you.

“Hey Makoto. Don’t worry, no Verner is going to ruin this meeting.” They say.

You are grateful you say, and you head in.

You wander together around the various sections, Jane is fascinated. Cultuaral exhibits from major cultures from across Earth paint a romantic view of the human homeworld

“I was raised mostly on Void-ships and the occasional shore leave on the colonies or the Citadel, and have yet to even be to Earth. How accurate is most of this?” They ask.

You mention it is all a bit romanticized. The Earth cultures present you are most familiar with my measure of being raised in the areas, Japan and the USA, are whitewashed here, ignoring the nuance of both cultures. 

“I get that. I know my Earth history despite never being there. The India section, where I can trace my roots to, I feel also does a lot to give a more “sanitized version” of the Nation. Shame, but then again, I feel this place is more for tourism, to encourage people of the Citadel to go to Earth and see sights, then as a cultural center. Still fun though, good food.” Jane says

You agree with that.

You talk with Jane about cultural differences, what it was like growing up on Ships versus being raised on Earth, for a few hours, and you feel your bond grow with them.

PING!

_Your bond to the Hanged Arcana has grown!_ **LEVEL 3!**

You head home, saying goodbye to Jane.

You shower and head off to sleep.


	53. School Days Arc: Gender and Oaths.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You talk Salarian gender with Bob and Oaths with Freya.

You do some training with Odiya in your dreams, though do not acquire a new Persona.

  
PEACE DAY

You get up and get ready for school. Freya sends you a message saying she wants to talk after school, Privately in her office.

You head to school after breakfast. Michal had already left to do a study group and everyone else is busy.

You arrive and Bob teaches a wonderful lesson. He wants to talk with you afterword.

  
“Ah Makoto. I researched Salarian gender divergent cultures and found it fascinating.” He explains

Good for you, you say, interested.

“It is not heavily talked about much given the how gender essentialist our culture is, but often our analogs to trans woman are spiritual leaders or Persona users, with the later often becoming Exorcists, while our trans men become military leaders. We don’t really have a concept of non-binary genders sadly” Bob explains.

You are intreaguded, and you spend your lunch break talking about cross-culture similarities of gender expression in trans individuals.

PING!

_Your bond with the Star Arcana has grown!_ **LEVEL 2!**

You start to get hungry and excuse yourself to get a quick lunch before next class, which Bob encourages.

You grab some take-out and head for your next class.

Miss I’Viv wraps class early need to help her daughter.

You wander campus a bit hoping to find something cool, but do not. You head for your meeting with Freya.

You head to the Presidium and knock on Freya’s door.

She buzzes you in and begins to talk.

“Relived: I Am So Glad Sarren Is Off Our Backs.” She says

You agree.

“Annoyed: I Will Report Him If He Tries Again” She follows

You nod.

“Will You Help Me Bring Him Down If He Tries Again?” She asks

You say yes.

“Excellent”

PING!

_Your Bond with the Sun Arcana has Grown!_ **LEVEL 5!**

You leave Freya to her work, and head to a gym.

You head home, grab some dinner and head to bed.

You here the Aria from everywhere and no where.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something short to get me back in the habit.


End file.
